The Butterfly Effect
by The Strawberry Phoenix
Summary: It all fell apart for them. They each went their own paths. But what if something else happened instead? What if two of them stayed together? And what changes would take place because of a simple decision made by 2D?
1. Eastbourne

Eastbourne

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

He just didn't know what went wrong.

Everything had seemed so fine, so perfect. They were in Hollywood, Tinsel Town, the place to make it big. Although they were already big, this was the chance to blow the world's mind. They had come to make a movie. Things went quite well…at the beginning. They had a couple different scripts that were perfect masterpieces. They had been written by 2D, Russel, and Murdoc, then rewritten after Murdoc passed out drunk.

The studios and companies they went to said different. They said the scripts were too dark and wanted to change them. Of course they were dark! This wasn't a happy, bubbly fairy-tale story. This was the story of Gorillaz, a cartoon band with a fifth member being a ghost that lived in a haunted studio atop a hill in Essex surrounded by a stinking landfill that was a breeding ground for zombies. What part of that _wasn't _dark? They had been so upset by the idea of changing a true story that they bailed there and then.

Maybe that was their downfall. Ever since bailing, tensions began to rise until they couldn't be ignored. Harsh words turned to death-threats, little prods turned to punches, and finally, with a single session of throttling that still had 2D's neck throbbing, Murdoc abruptly left and stayed gone. So it was just Russel, 2D, and Noodle left at Mulholland Drive and things were okay for a bit. They all discovered they could relax a bit easier without the Satanist's presence. But things were still not okay under the surface.

Noodle kept having disturbing nightmares and her mood reflected her lack of sleep. She grew irritable and shouted for the littlest of disturbances. Their neighbors trudged over more than once to demand that she behave. She had screamed at them until they left. Both 2D and Russel grew wary of the child and her abrupt mood changes. She was just so exhausted. They felt pity for her situation and maybe it was that pity that held them together for a bit longer.

Then one afternoon, 2D awoke in his room after taking his pills and sleepily made his way to the bathroom. Along the way, he happened to peek into Russel's room, only to see it was empty of clothing, belongings, and drummer. Russel was gone. He had just packed up and left without a word. The poor singer had suddenly felt a tidal wave of loneliness. He was all alone now, no Murdoc, no Russel- what about Noodle?

Something in his mind told him there was no way the child was still here. He wasn't qualified to take care of her. Russel took her with him, no doubt. He probably grabbed her and her things, then left for New York or someplace. 2D had felt a little better about that possibility actually. At least Noodle would be taken care of. Then he walked into the television room and saw, to his horror, Noodle sprawled out on the floor, playing her Gameboy and snacking on some chips. She had looked up and waved cheerfully at him.

_Wot do we do now? _That question had been repeating in his mind ever since he spotted the girl on the floor. It had become the main factor in his brain, blocking out his actions as he packed up his and Noodle's belongings, locked the front door and side gates of their temporary home, and took the girl with him to the airport. She had followed without hesitation. She didn't even seem to notice Murdoc and Russel's absences. Maybe she just thought they had gone on ahead and she and 2D were meeting up with them. Either way, she didn't seem upset about them changing their location at all.

_Russel, 'ow cewd yeh leave Noodle? _2D didn't know how to take care of a child. The drummer had taken care of most things concerning Noodle and 2D was just her playmate at most times. He couldn't be a role model. But that didn't stop him from climbing on that flight, sitting down, and strapping himself and Noodle in place with the seatbelts. He couldn't even remember the flight to England. He couldn't remember getting off, or even calling the cab.

2D looked down at the spot next to him in the back seat. Noodle was fast asleep, exhausted from her nightmares and the plane ride. He averted his gaze to the outside, where the raindrops hitting the window were all that he could see in the dark. He didn't remember telling the cab driver a destination, but he must have done so, otherwise they would be nowhere. They had to be going somewhere. He had someplace in mind that they could go. They definitely couldn't return to Kong all by themselves. It was too big for just them.

The constant drumming of the downpour outside lulled him lightly. He blinked heavily a few times but refused to go to sleep. He had to stay awake. He had to watch over Noodle. It was his responsibility now and he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Gorillaz was gone; it was just him and her. He shifted in his seat to keep his body active. The cab suddenly came to a complete halt.

"We're 'ere," said the driver.

2D peered out the window, but it was too dark to make out any details. "Quick question, where did I ask yew ta take us again?"

"Crescent Gate, Eastbourne," the driver replied. (it's made up, people)

2D suddenly knew why he had subconsciously chosen this place. He opened the door and went to the back of the cab. The driver popped the trunk so that he could retrieve their luggage. The singer carried it all to the front door of the house they were parked in front of. As he did so, he saw a light in one of the windows come on. He returned to the cab just as the drapes opened. " 'Ere," he paid for the ride, then stooped through the back seat door to pick up Noodle.

The guitarist groaned lightly, but wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her. She whined lightly as the cold sensation of rain drops fell on her face, shifting her head to cover her skin by burying it in his shirt. The cab drove off down the street, leaving the two behind. 2D approached the house before them in the line of fellow houses on both sides that curved into a cul-de-sac. Though the name would make more sense if the street were actually in the shape of a crescent, what it was labeled now just seemed more appealing. More lights were on inside now as the residents took notice of their guests' arrival. A few lights even came on in the neighboring houses, their occupants sleepily lifting blinds and curtains to see what was going on. He didn't even need to knock as the door was flung open, bathing the two of them in light from the front hall.

"Stuart!" Rachel Pot rushed out into the rain in her pajamas and bare feet. He would have laughed if the circumstances weren't so depressing. Rachel Pot was definitely not the sort of woman to be running around in that apparel. "Oh Stuart, wot 'appened? Why are yew 'ere?"

"Mum," the singer hung his head in shame, "Gorillaz is done. Muhdoc an' Russel ran off ta 'oo-knows-where. I…I jus' cewdn't leave Noodle all by 'erself. 'Is wos te only place I cewd 'fink o' comin' to."

"Get inside 'is instant!" The singer found himself being forcibly shoved toward the warm and dry house. He almost tripped in the doorway, but maintained his balance for the sake of not falling on the girl in his arms. David Pot loitered in the front hall, his eyes widening only slightly upon seeing his son. 2D inched past him and into the kitchen. He shivered a few times, soaked through to his skin after only a few minutes completely exposed to the rain outside.

"Yer crazy! As daft as yer da' sometimes!" Rachel ranted as she hurried after her son. "David, dun be a lump on a log! Get some towels!" She outstretched her arms toward her son, a gesture for him to release Noodle so he could get dry. Although very reluctantly, he shifted the girl to his mother's care. Noodle finally opened her eyes and looked around at her new surroundings. She looked fearful for a moment about being in a new place, but calmed down when she saw 2D standing within arm's length.

"Where are we?" she asked, yawning as soon as the words were spoken.

"Eastbourne," he answered. "We can't go back ta Kong."

"Why?"

"Ih…ih's complicated." He looked away from her and her piercing stare. David returned downstairs with the towels, expertly tossing one from a distance of ten feet so that it landed on his son's blue mop. 2D began to rub his hair dry as another towel was wrapped around Noodle.

"Won't do no good," said David. "Yeh both need ta change inta dry clothes. We can 'frow 'ose in te dryeh so 'ey dun go moldy." He checked the time on the microwave with a flick of the eyes. "Ih's two in 'e mornin', jus' wot te 'eck are yew two doin' 'ere?"

2D nodded to his mother, who led Noodle into the bathroom with one of her suitcases. With the girl out of the room, he began to tell his tale. "Everyfing jus' started goin' sour. We wos arguin' a lot. Our scripts kept gettin' rejected. Afteh a while…we jus' all snapped. Muhdoc disappeared an' Russ…well…'e abandoned us. I jus' cewdn't leave Noodle all by 'erself, so I brought 'er wiff me an' we came 'ere."

"Wot are yer plans?"

"I 'ave no clue. I dun 'ave a job, we can't go back ta Kong, an' our profits from te band are 'uge but won't last fo'eveh. We're screwed." David gave him son an even look. "Da', I _can't _take care o' Noodle. I dun know te firs' 'fing about carin' fo' a child. I'm not 'er daddy. Russel wos 'er daddy, I'm 'er brotheh."

David shrugged his shoulders after listening to his son whine about this new situation. "Well, yeh can't leave 'er, but yeh got no otheh place ta go. From where I'm standin', yew two are stuck togetheh an' once yeh realize 'at, yew can move on."

"Ain'cha been listenin'? We 'ave nowhere ta go! Wait!" 2D settled into his 'thinking expression'. He knew what his dad said was true. He and Noodle were stuck together, but he was the only one who could support the two of them. Every decision he made from here on out would affect them both. He was completely responsible for her now. "Can we stay 'ere fer tonight? Tomorrow, I'll go find us a temporary flat, get a job, 'en we'll be okay. She's li'le, she dun eat much. We're gonna be jus' fine."

David sighed at 2D's reasoning. "Son, te only job yew eveh 'ad wos workin' at te Organ Emporium, an' tha' place is shattered ta the foundations. Wot otheh experience yeh got? Yer a lead singeh inna band- so wot? Te world ain't gonna cut'cha slack. T'ey expect yeh ta act like an everyday person an' tha's exactly wot yeh need ta become."

"Since when were yew eveh a professor?" 2D snapped, feeling the stress of all of this festering into a skull-splitting migraine. "I dun know wot ta do." If he was without his new responsibilities as a role model, he would have broken down and cried. But no, he remained strong. For Noodle.

"I've been around te block. Look, yew can stick around fer a few days, get'cher bearin's, t'en form a plan." He reached out and patted his son on his shoulders. "Yew'll 'fink o' somefink, I got a lotta confidence in yew."

"Too much if yew ask me," 2D muttered. Both men looked up at the sound of the bathroom door opening. Noodle, her hair tousled loosely after being released from her helmet, skipped out from the door in her favorite pajamas; Pikachu styled with yellow fabric, brown stripes on the back, a lightning bolt tail, and a hood with the pointy ears. 2D smiled as he recalled the very Christmas morning that she unwrapped the gift from him and Russel. She had been so enamored by the pajamas, she even wore them to a gig one time. The crowd had gone insane. Eventually, Russel wrestled her _out _of them to get them washed.

"Toochie!" she sprang up into his arms, his quick reflexes being the only thing keep her from either crashing into him or the floor. She hugged him around the neck tightly and clung like a monkey, refusing to let him go. He wasn't quite sure if it was because she was playing, or if she was actually frightened of these new surroundings. She blinked her heavy eyes and smiled. Most likely playing, she was too tired to be frightened. Suddenly, 2D violently sneezed; his body jerking all at once and actually shaking Noodle loose. "Toochie sick."

"Tha' can't be good," David slapped his hand firmly against his son's back. "Dun want'cha sneezin' out a lung." He picked up Noodle at arm's-length, causing her to start struggling in his grasp and shouting what 2D could easily guess were obscenities in her mother tongue. Despite the little fists repeatedly slamming down on his forearms, David Pot laughed at the small girl. "Yer light as a feather, pet, an' skinny as a _noodle._" She stopped upon hearing her name, fully judging this man that held her.

2D recalled looking a lot like his father when he was younger, before the dents and blue hair. Well…even with the blue hair, they did resemble each other in the face a bit. Now the blunette's features were bruised and broken, resembling nothing even remotely human. He wondered if some of his childhood photos were lying around. Noodle probably wouldn't even be able to make a connection between his current self and his younger self.

The both of them were lanky, but David's body composition more resembled…fragile, yet willful. He was older than his son, but still had a lot of fight left in him. 2D had it figured he was saving most of it away in case he got attacked for any reason. His father's dark hair had lightened with age. 2D missed sharing that hair color. They were both easy-going men who just preferred to let life slide by. David lived up to that, 2D was now just washed up.

"Go change in te baffroom before yeh catch a cold. We'll scrounge up a place fer each o' yew ta sleep."

"We won't be a botheh, we'll share a bed."

2D regretted saying the words almost instantly. His mother stormed into the hall where the three of them were, her face masked in horror. "Share? Yew will not! Stuart, yer a grown man tryin' ta share a bed wiff 'is li'le girl! Wot's te world comin' to?"

"Mum!" he interrupted her before the rant could get full-blown. "Ih's alright, we've shared a bed before. Mostly when Noods 'as a nightmare or we're travelin' an' t'ere's limited space, but still-" he reached out and patted Noodle on the head, "we're used ta ih."

Rachel's narrowed eyes regarded her son and the small child he was trying to share a sleeping arrangement with. She believed him about the two having previously shared, but still didn't like the idea. "Go change inta dry clothin'. Put on pajama pants, I won't 'ave yew two sharin' an' yew sleepin' in yer undehwear."

"Mum, ih's fine, Noodle doesn't mind one bi-"

"Put on pants!" she demanded, her irritation making her grow in size.

"Okay!" he shouted back, giving up the fight. He skirted along the wall to avoid direct contact with her while he retrieved one of his suitcases. Unfortunately, a majority of his clothes were still at Kong. They didn't know they would be staying in Hollywood as long as they ended up doing and only had a limited number of clothes that had been brought along. He dragged it into the bathroom and shut the door, taking a quick glance at Noodle being coddled by his parents. Now he remembered the other reason he had wanted to specifically come here. Noodle didn't have parents, Russel was a father-figure, and he figured his parents were as close as she was going to get now that the drummer had disappeared. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be pampered to no end and given whatever she wanted.

He unzipped the suitcase and was met with a compact shirt bomb that exploded all over the bathroom. He grumbled slightly, but picked through the case to find a 'clean' pair of boxers and pajama pants. His mother didn't say anything about wearing a shirt. He usually slept only in his undergarments and Noodle hadn't minded one bit. In fact, sometimes she came in barefoot and liked to press her frozen feet against his back or stomach and giggle when he yelped.

Noodle and his parents weren't standing in the front hall when he came out after picking up all his clothes. He abandoned his suitcase at the door and wandered to the kitchen, running into David and Noodle at the table. David held up a small chocolate chip cookie, teasingly waving it in front of the girl's face. When she reached out for it, he tugged it out of her reach and slipped it under one of three identical pan covers. Then he shifted them around several times before halting and sitting back to let her choose where the cookie was. Noodle stared at them intensely. Her sharp eyes flicked between all three before picking up the one on her right and successfully swiped the cookie into her possession.

"I could neveh do 'is wiff yew," David directed this comment at 2D. "Yeh cewd neveh figure ih out. She's a smart li'le one," he patted Noodle on the head while she munched away happily.

"Yeah-yeah, I'm dumb, I get ih. Where's Mum?"

"Settin' up te guest room fer yew two." David reached into the bag of cookies and restarted the game he and Noodle were playing. "If she asks, Noodle found te bag on 'er own." He rearranged the pan covers and sat back again. "Wot's te plan tomorrow? Job search? Lookin' fer flats? School enrollment?"

"Wot did yeh say?"

"Which one?"

A thought occurred that never had before. Noodle wasn't in school; she hadn't been since coming to Gorillaz. Was she in school before the band? They had never asked her and her amnesia probably prevented her from answering. She was really smart and he highly doubted she actually needed a formal education, but they weren't famous anymore. They had to be normal now and normal children went to school.

2D groaned lightly. He could foresee many expenses in the future. They needed a flat, she needed a school, then there was food, bills, clothes, etcetera, and he was the only one between the two who could have a job. What people would hire an almost twelve year old? Actually, he was pretty sure it was illegal at a company. There was the royalties of the band between them, but they would run out eventually and he preferred to keep them as a rainy day fund. Russel would be proud of his new maturity.

"I dun know," the blunette replied. "I dun know where ta start."

Noodle's face split into a large yawn, making David rethink what he was about to say. "I 'fink, fer starters, ih's bedtime. We'll catch up in te mornin'."

"Ih is mornin'."

"I mean at mornin' light."

2D started shuffling toward the staircase, but halted when he realized he wasn't familiar with the set-up of this house. Born in Crawley, raised in Hertfordshire, this house in Eastbourne, though he knew its location from packages sent to and from it and Kong, was not familiar to him on the inside. In fact, he was pretty sure he had never stepped foot in it. Still, he was sure that the bedrooms were on the upper floor.

"C'mon," Rachel called from the top of the stairs. So he was right. 2D tramped up each step, feeling the weight of the future pulling him down with every lift of the foot. But he was so tired he didn't care at the moment. He was a living zombie by the time he reached the landing. Rachel manually led him to the door directly to the right. " 'Ere's te room. Get a good night's sleep."

Noodle, a little frightened after realizing she couldn't see him anymore, followed 2D up the stairs and into the room. It was a basic room, carpet, white walls, a window, a dresser, and a couch. 2D stared blankly at the couch. He wasn't the best when it came to quick measurements, but that definitely wouldn't be enough space for both him and Noodle.

"Um…Mum?" he gestured to the couch. "_I _cewdn't fit on tha', let alone me an' Noods." Rachel gave him a look before walking over to the couch and tossing the cushions off. One flew right at 2D and hit him, but he was too tired to care. The couch was unfolded into a bed frame with a bent mattress and sheets already on it. Rachel patted it down until it lay flat, then laid out some quilts on top. Once their bed was set up, Noodle clambered up on it and waited expectantly for him to join her.

"Good night Mum," 2D mumbled, shutting the door once Rachel backed into the hall. _Wot a mess. _He sank down on the quilts and held his throbbing head in his hands. He needed his pills badly, but he had failed to bring the suitcases up after them. Now he didn't want to face anyone, including his parents, so he was left without them.

"Toochie sad," Noodle dug her fingers into his blue locks, gently rubbing his scalp. She knew the signs of his migraines and was always worried when they appeared and his pills weren't in sight. It was then that he realized maybe the girl wouldn't be completely dependent on him. She was smart, they could take care of each other. She was basically a little adult taking care of a childish adult.

"Yeah love, I'm sad, but yeh know wot?" he reached behind himself and snagged her legs, swinging her around to sit in his lap, "we're gonna be okay. Ih's jus' yew an' me now an' I swear I'll get a job an' a place fer us ta live. We'll 'ave fun togetheh."

"Always fun," she said. She hugged him around his chest and slipped out of his grasp, crawling to the side of the bed against the backrest of the couch. She slid under the quilts, giving him an expectant look. He grinned and followed her example. There would be hardships in the future, no doubt about that, but they would face them together. All they had was each other now. Murdoc had vanished and was most likely dead judging on whatever activity he had engaged in upon leaving. Russel was gone and they had no other way to contact him for help. 2D and Noodle, former members of the band Gorillaz, were all that was left.

2D lay on his side, staring at the single window in the room. The rain refused to let up, little streams racing down the glass. He remembered being trapped inside on a rainy day as a child. He would sit in front of the window, like those two kids in The Cat in the Hat by that Doctor Soup fellow, staring out at the wet world. He would watch the droplets on the glass pane race to the bottom, growing bigger as they collected more drops left behind as residue from drops from before. When he got bored of that (and it took a while) he would go and play on one of the keyboards he and his father built together.

The light reflected in the drops went out, plunging the outside in true darkness. His parents must have shut the lights off downstairs now and were going to bed. He could hear them climbing the stairway, whispering as they went. He lifted his head off the pillow so he could hear better. He might be partially blind, but he could hear just fine.

"Do yew 'fink we shewd take control?" That was Rachel. "I mean, Stuart's a wondehful boy, but can 'e really take care o' a child? An' not a babysittin' job- _full custody _o' Noodle. I feel we shewd intehvene."

"Look," here was David, " 'e's actually serious about ih. Why dun we give 'im a chance ta try before decidin' whetheh or not ta take Noodle ourselves. We'll 'elp in te beginnin', 'en slowly pull our support away till 'e can do ih all on 'is own. 'E at least deserves a chance."

2D slowly exhaled as the voices got further away. He felt incredibly relieved. His parents would help for a bit and had a lot of confidence in him. And if everything fell apart, at least they were willing to take Noodle. At least she would have a home where she could have a normal life.

At least she would be safe.

* * *

Okay, here's my second several-chapters Gorillaz story. Now, I have Rise of the Ogre and I am aware of the different dates and the order that the band members left (Murdoc, Noodle, 2D, Russel), but for the sake of the story, I changed that. Noodle left October 1st and 2D left November 25th; since I want a Halloween-themed chapter and I'm not willing to wait till 'next year', I chose Noodle's departure date as the day the both of them left for England.

The story will span to 'the Wobble Street era' and I'm open to _**reasonable **_ideas for plots. I hope to hear from whoever's reading.


	2. One Step at a Time

One Step At a Time

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

2D jerked awake to the succulent scent of buttermilk pancakes and maple syrup. For a split second, he was convinced he was back at Kong, waking up to Russel's prepared breakfast wafting through the air vents to his room in the car park. But a quick view of his surroundings said otherwise. Kong was something of the past, something that was to be forgotten for the better good. He was in Eastbourne now.

He felt something small and alive shift beside him. The quilt trembled as the body stretched that one morning stretch that made the muscles breathe easier. They sighed once the stretch was done, but didn't make another move. 2D sat up and tugged the quilts down a little, exposing the tiny body beside him. Noodle let out a small groan, her face scrunching in protest of being disturbed. Either she hadn't smelled the pancakes or she was too tired to care.

"C'mon love," he urged her softly. The girl flipped over so her back was facing him in response. "T'ere might be whipped cream an' chocolate chips." Her shoulder twitched, but she didn't show any sign of wanting to get up. 2D's eyebrows crept together as he thought of an idea to rouse the child. His hands shot out and danced on her ribs. Noodle shrieked and shot up, vaulting over the couch's armrest and hitting the floor.

"Oh!" 2D tried to leap to his feet, but his entanglement with the quilts just brought him crashing to the unforgiving floor along with his bandmate. "Noodle, I'm so sorry!" he crawled forward using his hands, dragging the entire bedspread off the fold-out couch. The girl crossed her arms and pointedly looked away from him. He would have said more, but the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs silenced him. The door opened and David Pot paused to fully take in the scene that lay before him.

"From below, ih sounded like te ceilin' 'ad fallen in. Since we got ih re-shingled three weeks ago, I 'ighly doubt collected rain wateh 'ad amassed enough ta crush te two o' yew."

"What?" 2D and Noodle asked at the same time, this comedy-by-chance lightening the mood that had tried to settle as a dark cloud for the morning. Speaking of dark clouds, it was still raining pretty heavily outside. 2D was surprised the continual pounding on the rooftop hadn't woken the two of them earlier. But he had once slept through a chorus of car alarms back at Kong.

"C'mon," David stooped to pick up Noodle, who seemed more than happy to let someone carry her to breakfast instead of walking herself. She was used to being carried in some manner. 2D loved to give her piggy-back rides and Russel would hold her when they were trying to traverse a crowd or snow drifts or a large rain puddle and he didn't want her getting stepped on, lost, or wet. She had a strange habit about it. She was turning twelve this year and she still loved to be carried around like a baby.

Russel had had an answer for it. He claimed that Noodle's amnesia prevented her from remembering things she did when she was younger and thus she couldn't comprehend the norms of someone her age because, in her mind, she hadn't yet experienced them and preferred to act like someone younger. She was maturing in such a manner at slow rate because she had to 'test the ice before stepping on it', as the drummer explained it. Noodle was wary to take measures in maturity because she didn't know how to act most of the time and fell back on her natural attitude; that is, happy and playful, until she was sure on what to do in a situation. 2D had just nodded in agreement. It made about as much sense to him as romance novels.

"Pancakes?" the blunette asked hopefully, praying that his nose had not deceived him and there was a succulent, syrupy treat awaiting them downstairs.

"Well, ih's a special occasion, ain't ih?"

"Whipped cream, chocolate chips, peanut butteh, chopped nuts, powdehed sugar, an' maple syrup?"

"An', in yer case, pickles." David laughed and carried Noodle out of the room, who started laughing along but didn't understand what was happening, leaving his son to scramble after them.

"Tha's not funny, Da'!" (to anyone who even remembers, 2D is allergic to pickles) The scents he had located upstairs were mere wisps of the true aroma. The arrival to the kitchen was an explosion of fragrances that made 2D's mouth water uncontrollably. Unfortunately, the dam walls that were his lips that kept the drool tidal wave back were pulled back into a wide smile when Noodle shouted joyfully, "Pancakes!" and struggled to be put down.

"Stuart," Rachel groaned at her son, handing him a paper towel so he could mop up the floor and his bare chest clean of his spittle. "An' yeh cewdn't put a shirt on?"

"Does ih disturb yew?" he asked.

"Well, no-"

"Pancakes! Pancakes!" Noodle chanted, her joyful mantra being picked up by David, who also started repeating the word, ultimately silencing his wife. Rachel rolled her eyes and specifically served Noodle first. The girl squealed happily at her stack of three and practically crawled across the table to get the butter and syrup.

"We dun do tha' 'ere." David snagged her around the waist and pulled her back. Noodle stared at him blankly. Russel didn't usually mind her reaching because Murdoc, when he joined them, was too hung-over to talk and 2D was still high off his pills and couldn't comprehend even his natural blinking, let alone someone asking him a favor to pass a food item. She had done it all the time at Kong and even at hotels, so why wasn't she allowed to do it here?

"Love," 2D whispered, "ask me ta pass ih."

Noodle stared at him now. Her head tilted to the side, the pointed ears on her pajama hood falling to one side. "Please…please pass?"

"Pass wot?"

"Pass what?" she repeated, not knowing what exactly was being asked for at the moment.

"Please pass te butteh," David whispered in her ear.

"Please pass the…the butter." 2D obliged and handed the little dish across the table to her. Noodle grinned, now realizing that this command would bring the items toward her instead of her crawling on the table top to get them herself. "Please…please pass the…" she paused, looking for the right word to describe what she wanted next. Unable to find it in her limited English vocabulary, she pointed to the bottle of syrup.

2D picked it up and waved it, asking, "Wot's ih called?" The girl's shoulders slumped. The tasty substance was always a topper of her pancakes, waffles, French toast and, one time, pizza. But the name escaped her. "Ih's syrup, Noodle. Sir-up."

"Syrup," she repeated. "Please pass?" she held her arms open, like she was supposed to catch it. 2D slid it across the table. She grabbed it as soon as it was in arm's reach, drowning her pancakes in waterfalls of amber liquid. She would have continued until the entire plate was filled with it, but David snagged the bottle before it could be emptied completely. She didn't seem to mind that, but her focus switched instead to the knife and fork.

She had used a knife plenty of times, it was a regular eating utensil used to cut things into smaller pieces so she wouldn't choke, but the fork's purpose escaped her. Russel had always made sure she had an endless supply of chopsticks back at Kong. This place was different, it didn't have what she was used to. She compared the image of the fork to that of one in her memory. She recalled seeing a pitchfork one time.

"Is she alright?" Rachel asked, her face turning to a worried look while she watched the girl. "She's jus'…starin' at 'er fork."

"Oh damn-"

"Stuart!"

"Not now, mum. I dun 'fink Noodle knows 'ow ta use a fork. She always 'ad chopsticks back 'ome." He scooted his chair back and walked around the table. Noodle still stared blankly at her fork while she worked out its meaning in her head. "Love," 2D picked it up and showed how he held it to Noodle. Then he took the knife and used the two utensils to cut a piece of her pancakes stack. "Yeh eat wiff ih, no chopsticks till I find a place ta get 'em."

Noodle pouted from recognizing the words 'no' and 'chopsticks', but she finally realized the fork's purpose from 2D's demonstration. She took it in her own hand and speared the slice of pancake he had cut for her. It made it to her mouth with little difficulty, but she knew it was something she would need to work on. Within five minutes, she almost an expert in using the fork and knife to eat her breakfast.

"Catches on quick, doesn't she?" said David. "Continuin' our conversation te night before, wot's te agenda?"

"I noticed 'ose bags cewd 'ardly carry te amount o' clothes yew need ta live comfortably," Rachel spoke up.

"Yes Mum, we'll need some more," said 2D. "But tha's 'ardly first priority. I need a job, we need a flat, an' Noodle needs a school."

"One 'fing atta time. Yew an' David start lookin' fer work, while I take Noodle shoppin'."

2D smirked knowingly. "Good luck." Clothing was definitely not the first thing on Noodle's mind while at any store. She wanted to play and explore and it was a chore to keep an eye on her, even when it was him, Russel, and Murdoc all at once. She would easily outwit them, so what chance did his mother, alone, have? " 'And me te papeh, would ya?"

"We 'aven't got ih yet," David replied. "Yew want ih, yew get ih."

"Tha's wot a dog is fo'!" the blunette argued. _Or betteh yet. _"Noodle, go get te papeh!" he spoke in a wildly excited voice, like one would speak with a dog. "Go on! Go get te papeh. Yew can do ih!" Noodle jumped from her chair and raced to the front door, while 2D's parents gave him shared looks of shock. "Wot?"

"Wot d'ya mean 'wot'? Yeh can't do tha'!" Rachel snapped.

"She likes ta do ih," he argued back. "Ih doesn't cause any mental 'arm or wotever ih is 'ose oveh-protective parents are always whinin' about. Nothin' we've done seems ta affect 'er like tha'. But…" he paused for a moment. "She 'as been 'avin' a lot o' nightmares lately."

"Does she talk ta yew about 'em?" asked David.

"As clearly as she can. Somefink about…bright lights, a lot o' yellin', people physically touchin' 'er- not like ta cause 'arm, but like…_pushin', _like ih wos important tha' she move." He shrugged his shoulders, more trying to rid himself of that creeping tingling sensation on the back of his neck than to appear nonchalant. "She says te dreams are like- wot's ih called? First person view or wotever. Like she actually saw ih all 'appen 'frough 'er eyes. Tha's why ih bothehs me."

"We cewd schedule 'er an appointment wiff a child psychologist," David suggested. "Tha' wewd pro'lly be a good idea since we wanna get 'er in school. We need ta make sure she's mentally ready fo' ih. She 'asn't been ta one before, right?"

"Yeah, Russel taught 'er. She's been ta parks an' stuff, but not a school. So 'is psycho-guy, 'e cewd tell us if she's ready?"

" 'E'll tell us if she's mentally an' emotionally ready. We'll 'ave ta schedule a cognitive test ta assess 'er intelligence. Tha's so tha' wotever school she goes ta can place 'er in the correct year." Once he finished saying this, Noodle walked back in with the slightly-ruffled paper hugged to her chest. She handed it off to 2D and re-seated herself.

"Okay now," the blunette took out the want ads specifically. He knew he needed a high paying job to take care of the both of them, but he didn't want to spend his whole day at work. He wanted to spend time with Noodle too. He wasn't going to be one of those parents who worked all day and only saw their kids at night. But with each ad he viewed, his hope plummeted even deeper into the pit of his stomach. It was becoming increasingly obvious that it was either one or the other.

"While yew two go oveh 'is," said Rachel, "I'll take Noodle wiff me. C'mon dear." Noodle already found herself taken with these people. She happily and willingly followed Rachel out to get ready for a day in Eastbourne. A morning ritual was never the case at Kong, or even Mulholland Drive. Noodle could walk around in her panties and training bra if she dared, though if she made any move to go outside all three of her boys would pounce on her in unison. She did what she pleased during the day unless they had a gig or practice. Now all of that was going to abruptly change.

First things first, Rachel directed Noodle into her and 2D's shared room and handed over her suitcase. The girl stared blankly. She hadn't decided to get dressed, so why would she do it now? Her guitar had been brought along with their stuff, but 2D's keyboard wasn't here. His melodica was, but one couldn't play a live gig with just those two instruments. So if they didn't have performance, why was she being told to get dressed?

"I know yew can dress yerself," said Rachel. "I'll give yeh some privacy, but yew need ta 'urry. We got shoppin' ta do." She went out into the corridor, shutting the door behind her. Noodle looked back and forth between her suitcase and the shut door of the bedroom she was sharing. So she _was _supposed to get dressed, apparently for the sake of going shopping. Well then, she only hoped today was going to be interesting.

Noodle tossed her clothes around the room haphazardly to find something she felt like wearing for the day. She picked her way across the room to look out the window. Rain was still coming down in a straight shower. She shuddered at the idea of going out in that mess. A knock at the door reminded her that someone was waiting. She hastily pulled on a long-sleeve shirt to keep herself warm along with a pair of jeans. Another knock-

"Coming!" she shouted irritatingly. The boys didn't push her around or try to rush her. She was almost offended by it.

"Sweetie?" Rachel opened the door and peered around it. "Let's go."

By observation, Noodle could tell this woman had little patience. She had been frantic when they had arrived, making them change out of their wet clothes and send them to bed when she was having so much fun playing with the man who resembled 2D. She was reminded of Russel, always telling her to 'do this', 'do that', 'don't eat that', 'hurry, we're gonna be late!'. In a way, she found it comforting as well. Russel had still not revealed himself in this place and though no one could ever amount to what he meant to her, it was nice to have someone sort of like him.

2D and David saw the two off and immediately set to business after the car had driven off. While Rachel and Noodle were off shopping, more pressing matters had to be attended to. The newspaper was taken to the parlor, where the computer sat. It was a dinosaur by all standards and should consider itself lucky that 2D didn't put his foot through it. But with the combination of newspaper articles and the WorldWide Web, they began to compile listings for jobs and flats.

"Stu," David tapped his son on the shoulder to direct his attention to a separate window he had on the monitor.

**Dr. Sherman Wash**

**Developmental Psychology  
**

" 'E's a child psychologist," David explained under 2D's blank stare. "No-wait, lemme get 'is right or else 'e'll get pissed. Yeh gotta be right down ta the last letteh concernin' 'zactly wot 'ey specialize in."

"Does ih matteh?" 2D asked.

"If yeh want 'elp, ih does. Okay, I 'fink I did find our guy. 'E specializes in child psychopathology."

"Psycho-wot?"

"Mental diseases in kids."

2D's dents lit up in anger. "Noodle is not crazy! 'Ow cewd yew even 'fink tha'? Yew even said so las' night! Yew said she wos smart an' she is!"

"I'm not tryin' ta offend anyone." David placed a hand on 2D's forehead and pushed him downward into the couch they were sitting on. "Yeh say she came ta yeh wiff amnesia an' now she's 'avin' nightmares. 'Ere is definitely somefink goin' on in 'er 'ead an' we need ta get 'er checked out before we enroll 'er in school. She'll need tha' aptitude test as well."

"...fine." 2D took in a deep breath before he started sorting through the want ads again. He could feel his father's stare burning into his skull. "Wot, Da'?"

"Stuart, yer gonna need ta control yer tempeh."

"Wot tempeh?" He was genuinely confused. Whenever Murdoc picked on him, did he fight back? Whenever the world knocked him down, did he kick it in the shins? When some people gawked at his face, did he shout at them? No, he lay back and took the punches. He got back to his feet no matter how many times he fell. He smiled at them anyway, despite the looks of horror. _What _temper?

"Yew immediately assumed I said 'ere wos somefink mentally wrong wiff Noodle an' yew flew off yer 'andle. Yer all she's got now, dun make a stupid mistake an' get killed or comatose again fo' ih."

2D ducked his head sheepishly. But was it true? He didn't even remember his outburst only moments before. He figured there was too much brain damage when he could blink and not remember how to breathe for a split second. But if David said he had shouted, then he had shouted. One thing 2D knew about his father was that he didn't lie about serious things. David was a mellow, level-headed guy who had built up a reputation as a novice deadpan snarker, but when the situation wasn't one for joking or sarcasm, he jumped to the occasion spectacularly.

"I'm sorry," said the blunette. "I'm jus' so confused right now. 'Oo wos I ta 'fink I'd end up wiff a kid an' no job?"

"Really?" said David. "Yeh didn't see tha' comin'?" There was that snarkiness! "I'm jus' playin' wiff yeh, Stuart!" He clapped his son on the back and laughed heartily. " 'Ow're 'ose lookin'?" He gestured to the want ads haphazardly strewn about the coffee table.

2D sighed and collected them in a messy pile. "I dun know Da'. I need a good payin' job ta get us outta 'ere an' put Noodle 'frough school, but I dun' wanna be spendin' all meh time workin' an' neveh get ta see 'er. Yew an' Mum both worked an' yew always 'ad time fer me. I dun' wanna ignore 'er."

"Well, wot skills can we chalk up?"

"Singin', playin' keyboard, an' lookin' pretty."

David bit his lip, but a small snort of laughter squeaked through. "Okay," he cleared his throat before continuing, "so...'ere's somefink 'ere. Maybe yew cewd work atta club. 'Ey need music playehs...I 'fink 'ey're called DJs."

"Da', I can't DJ."

David ran a hand through his graying locks. In his mind, he was compiling all the jobs, new and old-fashioned, that would hire his son for his few talents. Being the frontman of a band was probably the perfect match for him. He played his music and didn't even need to flaunt his attractive-yet-disturbing looks. Rachel had always talked about how their little Stuart was the most beautiful child in the world, even after the tree accident. David could comfortably admit that his son had been adorable as a child, and was slowly starting to show some true manly features as he came out of the gawky and awkward stages of teenhood. Then a car was bounced off his face.

He just didn't know what was with the world and his son's looks. Once, when he was alone with 2D after Murdoc made his debut and his son had opened his eyes during his braindead period, David had shone a flashlight into the gaping dent and could only gasp at the bloody eye that blankly stared back. And sure, the scruffy hair with its one-of-a-kind color was surely endearing, and his voice could make any girl swoon despite its high pitch and cracking, but never in his life had David heard that missing teeth was attractive.

But maybe that was why he wasn't a hormone-crazed girl.

"Wot jobs-besides a band- cewd an attractive male wiff a good singin' voice get?" he wondered aloud.

"I can 'fink o' one, but yew won't like ih," 2D grinned.

"Naughty boy," David slapped his son on the back of the head. "Yer a role model now, dun be cheeky." Leaving his son to his dirty and immature mind, David retreated back into his own. He had never really worried about 2D as a child. He was spacey and a little thick, getting good enough grades to only squeak by and never really 'wow'-ing anyone with talents. Rachel had fretted that their boy didn't have a future before him and David had simply shrugged and sipped a beer.

"I know!" said 2D. "Wot about a music teacheh? I cewd teach!" (2D and Noodle becoming music teachers at Cyan's school was an idea I had for a bonus chapter in 'The Dream'; obviously, it was scrapped.)

"Before we really get inta 'is, yeh need ta 'fink o' all possible outcomes ta woteveh job yer 'finkin' of. Wot else do music teachehs do?"

"I'm thick, not stupid."

_Oh Stuart... _"Okay, maybe wot we got 'ere ain't exactly wot's in yer area o' expertise. I'll cut yew a deal: Halloween's comin' up soon, yew can 'elp me decorate te fairgrounds. Seem good?"

2D had been to the fairgrounds only a few times. In the time that he had visited, he had already had his own flat as an older teen, then the coma happened, then he joined Gorillaz. He could vaguely remember the layout of the grounds along with its booths and rides. "I wewd 'fink ih's most popular durin' te summeh."

"Ih is, but Halloween's our last major event 'til springtime, so we always try our best ta make ih big. So, wot d'ya say?"

"Ih sounds awesome Da'! I'll do ih!"

David snagged a piece of paper and a pen, hastily writing down the information of the psychologist Dr. Wash. "We'll run by te fairgrounds, 'en take a li'le trip down ta 'is guy's office ta set up an appointment. Yer drivin'!" he tossed the keys of the second car to 2D, who fumbled to catch them.

"Why me?" he asked.

" 'Cause I gotta lecture yew an' I'm not good at multi-taskin'."

* * *

I'm basing David off of my own grandfather, his mannerisms and such. My grandpa's the coolest guy.

I was going to update earlier, but I held off the release date of this chapter simply for this message: Happy Birthday Noodle!


	3. Rain and Wash

Rain and Wash

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

Noodle skillfully jumped around several large puddles that had formed in the dips and potholes of the cul-de-sac to avoid getting her feet wet. The rain from last night had refused to let up, still cascading down upon them. She looked around at the other houses that bordered the one she and 2D had stayed in last night. Each looked different, so they weren't boringly uniform. They might have been different colors, but she was having a hard time distinguishing them in the dreary showers. The raindrops bounced off her helmet and raced down into the small gap between it and her jacket. She squealed as the ice-cold droplets brushed her skin.

"Noodle!" Rachel called out to her. "Get in te car!"

The girl was more than happy to be in shelter. She rushed over and climbed into the backseat, slamming the door shut and shivering from being completely soaked. She didn't have a jacket made of suitable material to reflect the rain. The droplets just soaked right into the fabric. Rachel turned on the heaters to, hopefully, dry Noodle off before they reached their destination.

"Now Noodle, jus' in case yew eveh get lost, see tha'?" Rachel pointed out the slowly de-fogging window toward the street sign. "Ih says 'Crescent Gate', yew look fer tha' sign, okay?"

"Hai," she replied. Kong had always been easy to find and she never had a problem with losing sight of it. But this place wasn't Kong. Since their bags were (somewhat) unpacked, she figured they were going to be staying for a bit. So a mental note was made: look for Crescent Gate.

The car rolled out of their driveway and into the cul-de-sac. Normally, Rachel would be extremely cautious concerning driving in the open space. The local children played in it all the time, but she assumed only a daft fool would be outside in this rain. Besides, it was Wednesday, the children were in school. She glanced in her rear-view mirror at the child in the backseat. Noodle was staring out the window, not knowing she was being observed.

_I wondeh about culture shock? _thought Rachel. Would Noodle even survive a school? Could she handle being around so many children her own age? And their minds were so broad concerning unique attributes. Could she handle people who looked down at her? Who taunted her for being even a little bit different? Who tested her in the most psychologically traumatizing ways imaginable? They could press until she broke. Children could be so cruel.

"Hey!" Noodle called out suddenly, trying to get her attention.

"Yes, love?"

"Um...what...what your name?" It had occurred to the young girl that she and 2D had stayed at these nice people's house and she didn't know what to address them by.

"I'm Rachel, an' meh husband's name is David."

"Rachel-san, David-san..." Noodle paused and thought hard. "David-san...kukki no otoko?" (Translation: 'the cookie man?')

Rachel cocked her head at the sound of the foreign language. For the first time, she realized the major problem that festered under the surface. How was Noodle going to succeed in an English school when she barely spoke the language? Would she be able to write in English? Could she solve problems on worksheets and the black boards? How would she communicate with the teachers and her own peers? How would they respond to her? Or maybe she was just being too paranoid... Rachel blinked a few times to clear her thoughts.

"Cookie?" Noodle repeated after her question wasn't answered.

"Wuh? I dun' 'ave any."

"No! David-san cookie?"

"Um...sure."

Noodle smiled widely, deciding in that moment that David was, behind 2D, the funnest person in the world. He had challenged her to think and memorize in a way that was very enjoyable. If they were going to be here a while, she was glad it was with these people. "Toochie, to you?" she asked.

"Toochie? 'Oo, Stuart? 'Is name is Stuart, dear." The car rolled out of the cul-de-sac and approached the main road. Great waves of rainwater splashed up as cars drove by, flooding the sidewalks. "God curse tha' nickname," she muttered softly.

"Stoo-art?" Noodle repeated. Who was this Stuart? She didn't know anyone named Stuart. There was Russel, Murdoc, 2D, Damon, Jamie, Del, and now, David and Rachel. She didn't know a Stuart. Maybe he was someone she was going to get to meet someday. If he was anything like these people, she couldn't wait for the day to come. In such a short period, she had left everything she had known, but realized that these new things replacing them were just as good, if not better. The new house didn't reek of rot, or creak under the wind. This was definitely a brighter atmosphere than Kong.

But she couldn't shake the odd feeling about Russel and Murdoc not being here with them. The Satanist had run off a while ago, she knew that, but she had fully expected him to come back after a while. Then Russel had left without a word with his stuff, but she still didn't think anything of it. Then, last, there was 2D. He hadn't spoken a word as the rest of their belongings were packed up and he took her to the airport. What exactly was going on?

* * *

2D ran his fingers through his shaggy, wet hair as he looked all around him at the rides and booths. The rain bouncing off the metal machines and roofing echoed inside his empty head. There was an odd, gray mist about them, giving the entire grounds an eerie feeling, like from his zombie films. Just get rid of the rain and this would be the perfect setting for the Halloween celebration.

"Yeh like ih?" David called from under the shelter of an operating booth. Unlike his daft son, the older man preferred not to stand in the rain. He at least figured 2D would pull the hood of his borrowed rain jacket up as he looked around. Vaguely, he wondered if rainwater would collect in the blunette's eyes. Kind of like little dishes, maybe if his head tipped forward, the water would spill out.

"Wot exactly yeh got planned?" 2D asked, striding over to the covered booth.

"We try ta mix ih up a li'le, yeh know? Te kids are always good at tha'."

"Kids?" 2D's eyebrows narrowed since the depths of his dents hid his bloody eyes. "Yew fo'get ta tell me somefink, old man?"

David laughed heartily. "Meh summeh employees, son. Jus' a buncha kids. 'Ey go back ta school in te Fall, like all kids. 'Is is 'eir last chance ta really go all-out before school is te main focus." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sometimes I feel bad about all o' ih."

"Why Da'?" 2D looked up at the towering rides and envisioned all the rain and mist turned to sunshine and blue sky. The booths were bright and colorful instead of drab and locked down at the moment. What kid wouldn't feel glad to be here? And what kid wouldn't feel ecstatic to work here as well?

"Well, 'ey're so focused on makin' Halloween amazin', 'ey won't focus on school 'til ih passes. Parents get mad, y'know?" A rumble of thunder echoed over their heads. They both looked up to see if any lightning would join its loud friend.

" 'Ey Da', 'as 'ere eveh been any major problems 'round 'ere?"

"We've 'ad rides break down. But if yer 'finkin' 'bout any gettin' struck by lightnin', no tha's neveh 'appened. But I always wondehed wot ih wewd be like ta see ih 'appen. Seen a tree struck before an' a poweh line once."

2D let his dad continue rambling about his experiences with lightning. His gaze wandered to the service ladder of a Ferris wheel. The rungs were rusted with age and the protective bars on the opposite sides of them didn't even look like they could support a body if it slipped off the rungs and fell back. In fact, the entire set up looked extremely cramped and unsafe. He doubted even he could fit his skinny arse through it.

"An' we're off!" came a distant shout. 2D shook his head roughly and wildly looked around, realizing his father had left the booth and was walking away, laughing as he did.

"Tha's not funny!" 2D ran after him. "Joke's on yew! I'm te one wiff te car keys! Yew wewd've been stuck in te rain!"

David held up his hand, revealing the metallic glint of the keys through the rain. 2D gaped at him and patted his pocket, only feeling flatness where the poky bulge had been mere minutes earlier. David could have been a professional pick-pocketer, but he became the owner of the fairgrounds instead. "Yew were sayin'?" The man tossed the keys to his son as 2D finally made it to the car.

* * *

Noodle wasn't the most familiar with the concept of shopping. Living with three older men, who expected her to? But upon the car approaching the large building, she felt herself grow a bit excited, wondering what this place was exactly. This entire city was new to her. Who knew what excitement it could hold? She had yet to completely explore the new house.

"Run love," Rachel shut the car door and led Noodle toward the double-doors of the building. The child raced ahead, not wanting that chilly and uncomfortable feeling of a waterlogged jacket again. She burst into the building, tripping and almost tumbling into a heap. The cashiers looked up from their registers, leaning over counters and from around clothing racks to see what exactly had just barged through their door. Noodle straitened her helmet with an expression of rebuilding bruised dignity. Otherwise, she was perfectly unharmed. Rachel pushed the door open to recollect the child. "Yew really take 'ose kinda ordehs seriously," she commented.

Noodle wasn't paying attention to her, instead choosing to look at all the brights colors of clothing. She looked down at her damp clothing, comparing its appearance to the fanciful clothing displayed on the mannequins. Too much of it looked very feminine and designed for people much older than her. The fake mannequin had more curves than she did. She looked over her shoulder at Rachel, noting her own features, particularly in hips and chest.

"Well then, 'ow 'bout we do some shoppin'?" Noodle's eyes widened at her statement and she pointed to one of the mannequins. "No dear, yer a li'le girl, yew dun' wear 'ose. Yew wear kids' clothes." Rachel looked down at the little girl. Noodle's style didn't really seem like something a girl her age would wear. Especially that helmet. She had seen pictures 2D had sent her of them having fun as a band. Noodle was always wearing matching suits that almost looked army-grade. What she had on now wasn't too bad, but if only she could pry that helmet off.

The two walked together towards the children's section, sporting clothes more suitable for Noodle. But the girl's gaze was drawn a bit a ways- towards the boy's section. She looked longingly at the t-shirts, jeans, and jackets that were marketed for boys, but there was something so appealing about them to her. Rachel was speaking in the background of her mind, but she ignored the voice and wandered over to the boys' section.

"No dear, yew wear 'ese clothes," Rachel herded her back toward a rack in the girls' section. " 'Ow old are yew?"

"Juu-ni," she replied. (Translation: 'twelve') Technically she wouldn't be officially twelve until the end of the current month, but it was easier to simply say that instead of 'eleven, almost twelve'.

"Um..." Rachel began to wonder about how much of the English language Noodle had actually learned from being with her son, Russel, and that beast Murdoc. Realizing the woman's distress, Noodle held up her ten fingers, balled her fists, then held up two. "Oh, twelve. Yer twelve." She walked over to the section with the corresponding clothes for Noodle's age, glancing up every now and again to make sure the girl was still in her sights. Noodle continued to stare at the boys' sections, even more so when a ten year old and his mother came by to do some shopping.

"Hi," he greeted her. "Are yew 'ere shoppin' with yer mum too? Right borin', isn't ih?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Why yew starin' at the boy clothes?"

"Want," she said back. She glanced over her shoulder at the girls' section. "Rather be wearing."

"I like yer 'elmet," he said, gently tapping it. "If yew like the boy clothes so much, why don'chu buy 'em?"

"I...am a girl."

"So?" he smiled at her. "Hey, yeh wanna go play? Shoppin' with mums is too borin' fer us kids. Let's go explorin'."

Glad to have an excuse to wander on her own, Noodle quickly went off with the boy without his mother or Rachel even noticing he had vanished. Soon though, Rachel looked up to get Noodle's opinion on some of the clothes she had picked for her, only to realize the child was gone.

* * *

"Wot exactly wos a normal day of intehaction between yew an' Noodle?"

2D rested his chin in his cupped palm, the other hand on the steering wheel, while they waited for the lights to change color at an intersection. "I...I wewdn't really call anyfing we eveh did normal. Mostly, I'm jus' 'er playmate. She obeyed Muhdoc 'cause she wos scared o' 'im, an' she obeyed Russel 'cause 'e's 'er papa, I'm te brotheh. Yeah, she'd listen ta me, but ih wos afteh tellin' 'er a couple o' times."

"So she dun' respect yeh as a caregiveh?" The lights changed and they finally moved forward. But before they got far, they were stopped again by another light. 2D hit the brakes a little too hard to come to a grinding halt. "Stu, can yew even see te cars in front o' yeh?" asked David.

" 'Course I can," he replied, but his father wasn't the most convinced. In fact, David discreetly tightened his safety belt. "Yew 'ave a brotheh. Weren't 'ere eveh any disagreements oveh 'oo obeyed 'oo?"

"Girls 'fink diff'rent, son."

2D scoffed. "Noodle's basically a boy. I 'fink 'er soul an' body got mixed up." He began to wonder how his mother was handling shopping with the child. They had tried to take her shopping several times before, but the only thing crowding Noodle's mind were the possibilities running rampant concerning the changing rooms and clothing racks. All she wanted to do was play hide-and-seek and they were always the losers, desperately running around and calling her name, dubbing her 'the winner'. _But she is oldeh 'an te last time we took 'er. 'Oo knows, maybe she's grown outta ih?_

"But wot exactly were yer intehactions? Wot did yeh talk about? 'Ow did she respond ta certain situations? Stimuli?"

"Wot?" 2D jerked his gaze from the road to look over at his dad.

"Stu-STU! Te car's in motion!" David flailed around, physically turning his son's head to face the road again. "I wanna get 'ere alive!"

"Yew gave me te keys," 2D replied pointedly. "Now...wot were we talkin' 'bout?"

"Say 'is, Noodle is confronted wiff a problem- any problem-, wewd she come ta yew fer 'elp?"

2D nibbled on his lower lip in thought. The most problems Noodle ever had were trying to get things off high shelves, and most of the time, she would scale the wall to get whatever it was. But he could remember dark nights filled with storms that always seemed to flock to the haunted hillside Kong resided on. As the bolts of light crashed from the sky and the thunder snarled in return, Noodle's cries would get steadily louder as she raced to his room and crawled into bed with him. "She's scared o' thundeh an' always came ta me first."

"So yer 'er protector when she's scared. Not a bad position ta start out in. Yer relationship can build on tha'. Noodle will 'opefully begin ta see yew as a true solid point in 'er life. She will look ta yew fer comfort an' fer guidance."

2D tilted his head slightly in order to keep his eyes on the road and yet still look at his dad without the rim of his dents getting in his line of sight. "I 'fought Mum said yew were a slackeh in school."

" 'Ey dun' teach spiritual enlightenment in school. Yew were a bit o' a slackeh too."

"An' now ih all comes down ta Noodle, te next in line."

"Let's jus' 'ope we dun' screw 'er up," David sighed. "I guess we shewd be 'finkin' about wot lies up ahead fer 'er. Wot challenges does a twelve year old face?"

"Bullyin' wos te main problem I 'ad," 2D recalled. He was about Noodle's age when the accident happened. The children were relentless in teasing his vexing new hair color, pulling at it and laughing. "But Noodle can take care o' 'erself. An' if 'ey pick on 'er, she'll pick right back."

"Is tha' really te kind o' lesson yeh want 'er ta learn?" said David. "We shewdn't let our angeh get te betteh o' us. Ih's brains oveh brawn, yeh know? If yeh can fool 'em, 'en 'ere's no need ta physically fight. Wot yer suggestin' is te wrong approach. Be quick an' cleveh, not 'eavy-built and slow-witted."

2D, frankly, wanted to argue against his father about the act of bullying, himself always being the victim, but he couldn't assemble his words at the moment. "So... yer sayin'...kinda like a 'two wrongs dun' make a right' sorta 'fing?"

"Do 'ey make a left? 'Cause yew just missed te turn," David pointed to the small parking lot for Dr. Wash's office building that had appeared in the front windshield, then vanished as they sailed by. 2D hit the brakes hard, the grinding of the wheels on the wet road making the car groan. Thankfully, there were no cars behind them.

* * *

It was quite an odd sight to see a grown woman frantically scurrying about, dipping down between clothing displays, and almost yanking hangers of their racks. But Rachel's desperate search for Noodle was not humorous in the least. Her son had wished her 'good luck', now she understood why. But she was not alone in her searching. Another woman, whose son apparently had vanished, was looking about with her. They had been in the same section and it didn't take a genius to deduce the two had run off to play.

"Noodle!" Rachel called softly, not wanting to alert anyone of her apparent neglectfulness. She was sure the staff was aware anyhow. Noodle's spectacular entrance and her odd little helmet had drawn their attention to begin with. She was almost ashamed to ask for their help. She had never lost 2D when they went out, but he was basically a duckling, following her wherever she went. Noodle was obviously a lot more independent than her beloved boy and poor Rachel didn't know how to deal with an independent child. They wouldn't leave the store hopefully; after all, all the hiding places were here. Noodle had expressed her distaste for the dreary weather outside. It was nice and warm in here, so why would she want to go out?

"Any luck?" asked the other woman, a frantic look of despair on her face.

"No, but I'm pretty sure 'ey wewdn't leave, ih's too cold an' wet out 'ere."

"Does yer daughter 'ave a 'istory o' 'is sorta thing?"

Rachel was struck silent for a moment. Daughter? What was Noodle to her? "She's not meh daughteh, she's...meh adopted...grandchild." It was as good of explanation as any.

"Adopted? 'Ow nice," the mother seemed to calm down a bit for some reason, or maybe it was shock, sinking into a nearby chair, only to leap up shrieking when a small voice cried out.

The little boy crawled out from under the chair, rubbing his hand. "Mummy, yew stepped on meh 'and! Why wewd yew do tha'?"

"Well 'ere's one," said Rachel. She kneeled down to talk with the found child at eye level. "So if yew 'id, tha' means Noodle's lookin' fer yew."

To her horror, he shook his head. "Not really. We started playin' 'ide-an'-seek, but tha' got borin'. So we started a new game! Ih's called...uh, I think we decided on 'Sneak Attack'. Yer tryin' ta find the other person, but yew can only get a point if yeh tag 'em when 'ey're not lookin'. So we're lookin' fer each other, but also tryin' not ta let the other person see ya."

"So, at 'is moment, Noodle is sneakin' 'round tryin' ta find yew..." said Rachel.

"Yeah! Ih's fun!" the boy chirped back. His smile faded upon fully viewing the worried looks of both his mother and Rachel. "Oh...yew didn't want us playin'."

"Ih's not tha', dear," said his mother. "Ih's jus'...yew really shewd 'ave asked fer permission. 'Is woman is very worried," she gestured to Rachel.

"I understand. Noodle! Game's over!" he called loudly.

"Hai." Rachel almost screamed as the small voice spoke from behind her. She whirled around to see Noodle standing there, head slightly tilted to the side in her curiosity on why the game was cut short.

"Oh 'fank God!" Rachel pulled the girl into a tight hug, causing her to squirm and whine as she was crushed. "Dun' eveh do tha' again! Do yew 'ear me?"

"Watashi ha nanimo kiko emasen!" (Translation: 'I can't hear anything!')

"Wot?"

"Too tight!" she shouted, gasping for air when she was finally released.

* * *

Elizabeth, more commonly known as Lizzie, didn't see much on the job. She was twenty-two, what did she expect to see? Sometimes there were the stranger cases, but she was just an observer in most of it- concerning the children anyhow. Dr. Wash dealt with the children. Most of the time, the parents were worried for their children about having to attend a psychologist, but there were those moments that she was pretty sure the parents themselves needed to be committed to an insane asylum. Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to voice those thoughts on the job.

As two men entered, one resembling a twiggy scarecrow with blue hair and dented eyes, she immediately figured this was going to be interesting.

" 'Ow may I 'elp yew?" she asked.

The blunette, who had been spinning in a circle to look around the room, focused on her at her receptionist desk and quickly approached. " 'Ello!" he said in a cheerful, awkwardly-cracking voice. "I need ta schedule an appointment."

"Yew seem a li'le too old fer Doctor Wash."

"Not 'im," the older man gently pushed the blunette to the side. "Fer 'is kid."

Lizzie stared wide-eyed at the blunette, almost worried to wonder about the functioning capabilities of the offspring of this lightpost with an apparently dim bulb. "Okay..."

"Lizzie," Dr. Wash walked out from the back room, his eyes looking through his glasses to view the sheets of paper on a clipboard. He was so engrossed by the printed words, he walked right into 2D. "Oh! I'm sorry." He looked up and saw exactly what he had walked into. "Dear God!" he shouted in shock. 2D flinched and backed away, looking about to see what the threat was. "Oh sir, I'm-I'm sorry. Yew were...not wot I wos expectin' ta see. 'Ow may I 'elp yew?"

"We need ta schedule an appointment," David spoke up. "A li'le twelve year old-"

"She's eleven," 2D corrected. "She'll be twelve at te end o' te month."

"Yes, ih's always good ta specify the age," said Dr. Wash as he scribbled the information down. "Now wot exactly is the problem?"

"She's been 'avin' nightmares fer a while. Not gettin' much sleep some nights. Also, I wanna enroll 'er in school an' I need ta know if she's...men-ta-lly stable."

Dr. Wash stopped writing for a moment as he gathered the information in his head. "Yew want ta enroll 'er in school... 'ow 'as she been learnin' recently?"

" 'Omeschool," David stated before 2D could speak.

"Okay then. So yeh need ta ensure she can 'andle 'is new situation. Now, wot is the child's name?"

"Noodle," said 2D before he could even think it through.

"Wot?" Lizzie and Dr. Wash said at the same time.

The blunette froze up. To him, 'Noodle' was a perfectly acceptable name. Parents were naming their children all sorts of nonsense these days. Noodle had named herself with the one English word she could speak at the time. The fans had accepted it like it was normal; then again, they accepted everything in the crazy fandom that was Gorillaz. There was something wrong with their fans... bless their hearts.

He never thought about what other people thought of the name 'Noodle'. He recalled once coming across a boy named 'Gaylord'...poor kid. He went by 'Gale' for the rest of the time 2D knew him. Noodle didn't know her name was abnormal and in 2D's eyes- or dents- it was the perfect name for her. She picked it, she wore it proudly without any shame. He doubted she was capable of feeling shameful.

"Ih..." he started, his aching brain trying to work up an explanation. "Ih jus' _sounds _like 'Noodle' really." How did Noodle pronounce her own name? It was something where she sounded it out. Noo-da-ru. Her accent and language made it sound foreign. "Yeah...yeah, see, she's foreign- adopted, yeh know? She's learnin' English. 'Er name is Noodaru, but we jus' call 'er 'Noodle' 'cause ih sounds similar. Ih's a nickname, see?"

"Dun'chu think tha' cewd 'ave some adverse reactions?" said Lizzie. "Yeh dubbed a kid 'Noodle'."

"Now Lizzie," Dr. Wash said in a stern voice. "Right," he turned his attention back to 2D and David, "I think we can get'chu in somewhere. I'm very eager ta meet Noodle- I can call 'er tha', right? Some kids are very withdrawn an' dun' like strangers usin' their nicknames."

"Jus' call 'er Noodle, she'll pro'lly respond ta ih betteh 'an Noodaru," said 2D.

* * *

Would've posted earlier but things have been a little hectic. Finals week is almost upon us...I'm not worried.


	4. Aptitude and Attitude

Aptitude and Attitude

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

Noodle intensely studied the man who sat opposite of her chosen couch. He was looking back with the same intensity, but his was more controlled in his expression. Yes, he was studying her, but he didn't want her to know. She could see though. Maybe more simple-minded or frightened children would overlook it, but she broke every facade he put up. At least he seemed nice.

" 'Ello Noodle," said Dr. Wash. He recalled 2D mentioning she was more likely to respond to her nickname 'Noodle' than her actual name 'Noodaru'. He decided to test his chances at bonding with her. Some children became frightened when they heard their name spoken by a stranger, some became annoyed and withdrawn. Noodle was staying relatively aloof, her arms crossed over her chest and her body slouching into the couch cushions. He readjusted his glasses and cleared his throat before continuing. "My name is Doctor Wash an' I'd like ta ask yew a few questions. Wewd yew be okay with tha'?"

Noodle raised an eyebrow at his chosen tone. Slow and sweet, trying to convince her he was a good guy- and he probably was. She felt a little bad about being so silent while he was being perfectly friendly. Every routine in her life had been uprooted and promptly stomped into the dirt. First there was coming here, but she had easily gotten over the dramatic change, especially after witnessing the generosity and overall joy that Rachel and David's company could bring, as well as a nice change of scenery after the rain had let up. Then there was shopping, something she preferred to leave with someone who actually enjoyed it. But today, Friday, she had felt like sleeping in and maybe playing a bit of her guitar. That plan was rudely intervened.

So now here she was, sitting on a couch, her lips sealed shut.

"Okay Noodle, 'ow old are yew?"

What sort of question was that? It was simple- so simple in fact, that she considered it a mockery to her intelligence _not_ to answer. "Ju-" she stopped herself. In her experience that she could actually recall, it was only ever 2D, Russel, and Murdoc in her company. Russel had managed to communicate with her on some levels of language competency, but 2D and Murdoc were lost in her jabbering. _Everyone _in this new place spoke the boys' language. If that was so, then they wouldn't understand hers. "Tw-twelve."

Dr. Wash chuckled. "Twelve? I wos told yew were still eleven. When's yer birthday?"

That was an easy question too. "Hallow," she stated.

He did a double-take. "Yer birthday is holy?" He had experienced some narcissists who claimed that their very birth was a gift onto the world with such emotion that one would assume they thought themselves as the second coming of Jesus. Noodle hadn't struck him as that sort of child.

Noodle narrowed her eyes at his response. Since when was her birthday full of holes? Her birthday was the day of monsters and frightening things, where one could wander the streets in costume and scare people for fun. It seemed pretty put together to her. "Raar!" she growled, pointing her index fingers down from her upper lip like fangs. "Hallow! Monsters! Raar!"

"Oh! Hallow an' monsters. Yew mean 'Hallow's Eve' or, more commonly referred ta as, 'Halloween'." He then recalled 2D saying her birthday was at the end of the month and mentally scolded himself. It was October! "So yer birthday is the day o' monsters, gore, an' screams."

Noodle smiled at him. "Left!"

He could only assume she meant 'right' and continued on. "Okay, are yew excited fer yer birthday? Big celebration- oh um, big party?" The top portion of his clipboard was filled with observation notes, but the bottom portion was starting to become overrun with messy scrawls. His handwriting was atrocious and he always had to re-write everything at the end of each session, but he could make it out. Noodle's grasp of the English language was good enough to where she could respond to questions in broken speech, but, he realized, they needed to be simplified. This was noted down as a major consideration for her school career. He hated having to write it, since it could spell disaster for getting her into the education system and, more than anything, he wanted her succeed, but it needed to be noted.

Noodle shrugged her shoulders in response. "Not knowing," she said. She really didn't know. The boys hadn't known her birth date until Halloween had rolled around and she happily announced, through her hazy memories, that it was her birthday. Russel had translated for Murdoc and 2D and the three almost fainted in shock. She didn't mind not having the party. Halloween in itself was basically a party: funny costumes, spooking people and not getting yelled at, and tons of candy.

"Yew dun' know if yer 'avin' a party? Wot's yer dad got planned fer yeh?"

Noodle cocked her head in confusion. Dad? She knew family terms- why else did she call her boys her brothers as well?- but, as for 'dad', the closest thing she had was Russel, and she didn't know where he was at the moment. Would he show up in time for her birthday? Or maybe that was a surprise! The boys had bought her presents, so maybe Russel showing up would be her present this year! It would make a great one. "Not knowing," she said again.

"Okay, let's talk about somethin' else. Are yew 'appy ta be 'ere in Langney?"

Langney? Noodle stared at him in complete confusion. She vividly recalled this new place being called 'Eastbourne' by 2D, as well as David and Rachel. She knew them better than this guy and so chose to trust their words over his. "No Lang-nee. Eest-born."

Dr. Wash paused a moment before laughing. "Sorry dear. Yes, we're in Eastbourne, but the specific part o' Eastbourne we're in is called 'Langney'. Didn't mean ta confuse yeh." She still continued to stare blankly. "Langney is in Eastbourne, Eastbourne is in East Sussex, East Sussex is in the South East region o' England. Yeh follow?" She didn't respond in any way. "I guess tha's why I'm not a geography teacher," but he was impressed with her ability to remember the name of where she was, despite not being a master at the English language. "Let's talk about yer dad. Are yew 'appy 'e adopted yew?"

"Who?"

"Stuart," Dr. Wash gestured to the closed door, where, in the lobby, 2D was sitting impatiently and nervously for Noodle to emerge.

There was that name again. Stuart... She didn't know anyone named Stuart, but Dr. Wash had indicated in the direction she knew 2D was in. She decided to test her assumption and agree he was referring to 2D. "Toochie? Happy...I happy...be here..."

"Yer 'appy ta be 'ere?" he asked.

She smiled and eagerly nodded her head. "Left."

"Do yew two 'ave fun together?"

"Playing all the time! Movies, games, all fun. Cry bit maybe," she adopted an exaggerated sad-face to emphasize her feelings. If her English wasn't good enough to get her point across, she'd have to resort to body language. "Not knowing where Russel-san and Murdoc-san be. Maybe come, maybe be together. As was..."

" 'Oo are Russel an' Murdoc?"

"My brothers..."

Dr. Wash tensed up a little, wondering if he had tread where he shouldn't have. 2D hadn't notified exactly when Noodle had come into his life. Depending on her age at the time, it was possible she could recall family life before. " 'Ow old were they the last time yew saw 'em?"

"Not knowing."

"Do yew know where they are now?"

"Not knowing."

"Does ih make yew sad ta think about 'em?"

"Hai. Missing..."

"They're missin'?" He had had other cases like this. Children recalling their siblings from their pasts and realizing, to their horror, that something had happened to them. Maybe the child was lucky to get out of the situation they could barely remember, or maybe their siblings ran away or were kidnapped. He was about to write down what she was telling him in his notes, but her next words stopped his pencil.

"No, _I _missing. Missing...they?"

"Oh, yew _miss_ 'em. Wot 'appened to 'em?"

"Right," she said. Dr. Wash quirked an eyebrow. His hypothesis was that she kept mixing up the words 'left' and 'right' with all their meanings: directions, correct, and, he guessed, past tense of leave.

" 'Ey left yew an' yer dad?"

"Hai."

"Are yew mad tha' they left?"

"No...just sad."

* * *

2D couldn't stop being jittery. He was the only one who had brought Noodle here, his parents staying behind so he could step up into responsibility, and now he was alone in the waiting room. Well, not technically alone. He tilted his head slightly to look at the receptionist, Lizzie. She was busy typing on the computer at the moment and didn't pay him any attention. The only sounds in the room were the keys going *clack* *clack*. It was driving him mad. He was nervous, he was feeling ill, he almost wanted to scream.

But why was he feeling this way? He figured it was all for Noodle. If she didn't meet mental capability standards, then they couldn't get her into the school they had chosen for her. In fact, 2D, Noodle, and David had an appointment there later today with the headteacher for Noodle's test. But that meeting succeeding was all relying on what was happening right now in the other room.

"Are yew 'avin' a seizure?" 2D almost shrieked when the voice cut through his rampant thoughts. Turns out Lizzie was paying attention after all.

"No, I'm jus' a li'le nervous."

She looked at him with genuine surprise. "Really? A lot o' parents are more annoyed by comin' 'ere than anythin' else. Cuttin' inta 'eir wallets an' free time."

"Well, 'ose parents dun' love 'eir kids as much as I love Noodle. Everyfing I'm doin' now is fer 'er."

Lizzie was a little taken aback by his devotion. She had seen all kinds of parents and interactions between them and their children. She had seen the most spoiled brats in the universe, some carbon-cloned robots that couldn't think for themselves and would get a nice slap to the face by the brick wall that was reality when they left their parents, and then there were the ones that were seemingly normal. She didn't hate kids- she loved babysitting her cousins- what she hated were what the parents had let them become. But this man, caring for a child that wasn't biologically his, would never cease to amaze her.

"Yew really love 'er."

" 'Course! I'm all she's got." 2D squirmed into a standing position when the door opened and Noodle and Dr. Wash came out. " 'Ey Noods!"

"Toochie!" she bounced over to him, happy the session was over. Dr. Wash was very nice, but he was incredibly boring. "We go?"

" 'Ang on, love. Gotta talk wiff te doctor first." 2D walked over, his head tilted downward to talk with Dr. Wash quietly. "Well, wot d'ya 'fink? Is she stable enough?"

"Noodle 'as excellent memory an' thinkin' skills fer one 'er age. Yew will continue teachin' 'er English, correct?" He flipped the pages on on his clipboard after 2D nodded. "She'll do fine with the language. Ih jus' needs ta be made clear tha' she can only understand if ih's simplified, or someone simplifies ih fo' 'er. I think she'll do great in a new environment- a li'le cautious at first, but she'll adapt wonderfully."

"Did yeh get ta the nightmares?" 2D asked, twiddling his fingers nervously.

"No, not today. I jus' wanted ta evaluate whether or not she wewd be stable fer school so yew can enroll 'er as soon as possible. I'll look inta the nightmares at the next session. Dun' wanna overwhelm 'er an' the nightmares may be a touchy subject. I need ta gain 'er trust a li'le before I delve deeper. She's set fer now."

" 'Fank yew so much!" 2D snagged the paper with Dr. Wash's approval of the psychological evaluation and managed to make it out the door despite tripping over the coffee table.

"Wot a strange man," said Lizzie, watching the tall, gangly figure and the short figure disappear from her view.

"Yeah," Dr. Wash agreed. " 'Is 'eart's in the right place though."

* * *

This place truly was a breath of fresh air. After the haunted, rotting hillside of Kong, the hustle and bustle of touring, and the crowded nonsense of L.A., Noodle felt herself truly beginning to breath in the tranquility. The air quality was probably much healthier here as well. There was always the scent of a sea breeze wafting about. So far, she hadn't seen the large expanse of water, but longed to deeply. There were ponds and lakes here; in fact, they were passing one in the car at the moment. She could see it right beyond the fields next to the road they were currently on. It looked serene and refreshing, but she knew that one dip in that water at this time in the year would numb her toes off.

"Noodle, we're 'ere." 2D was no doubt the one more excited about this situation, but he was also the most fearful. This was going to be Noodle's school and he prayed she would like it. He had discussed certain consequences with David that morning.

"Well, wot if she dun' like ih?" he had asked. "Wot if she 'ates ih?"

"She'll 'ave ta get used ta the idea," his father had said back. "Yew made 'is decision, Stuart, an' ih's fo' 'er benefit. If she gets mad at'cha now fer makin' 'er do 'is, she'll realize, when she's oldeh, yew chose wot wos best. She'll 'fank yeh in te future"

Noodle's eyes widened at the fairly large building they had parked near. She figured it wasn't as big as Kong at first glance, but maybe it seemed bigger on the inside. People could often mistake Kong for a simple building until they got inside and almost suffered an aneurysm trying to find their way out. This building seemed much more welcoming than Kong, up here in the green fields and lakes. She wondered if this was where they were going to live. She liked living with David and Rachel, but this place was downright gorgeous.

"Wot d'ya 'fink?" 2D asked as she jumped out of the car.

"Koreha watashitachi no atarashi i ie desuka?" she asked, looking all around (Translation: 'Is this our new home?'). She could hear noises- voices, and lots of them.

"Wot'cha say?" he asked.

"Home?" she said, pointing at the building. "Is home? New?"

2D smiled. At least she seemed to like the building, but that might change when she realized its motives for existing. "No love, 'is isn't 'ome. But ih will be a very important place fer yew." He looked around the car park for the other car, the one David had used to get here. His father had promised to meet with them and supervise 2D in the meeting, just to ensure he didn't do anything stupid. It was past noon, their meeting with the headteacher being at 12:30. They had to go in soon and 2D started to feel the worry building up inside. He cursed his damned thick mind to Hell.

"C'mon Noodle," he led her inside, casting one last, longing glance into the car park.

Noodle gasped once the moment they stepped through the doors. Linoleum floors with an odd scuff here or there, large windows that peered into offices, and so many doors! She saw, through a set of rather large and wide windows, a courtyard where several children were sitting about, talking. They were all wearing the same clothing, black trousers and white shirts, though some boys had the buttons near the neck line unbuttoned as they lazed about. What was this place? It seemed a little familiar with how neat and shiny everything was and the children all looking the same.

She scratched her head as she tried in vain to recall why it seemed this way. Long hallways, color-absorbing white walls (or at least it seemed as such), the scent of cleansing chemicals, and the children...why the children? These images were suddenly bombarded with dark images from her nightmares. Young voices crying out, her own body being touched and shoved, a single voice speaking to her-

"Whoa! Look at tha' guy!" the boy's exclamation brought Noodle back to the present. He was standing with two other boys in the hall, gawking at 2D. " 'Ey Mister, why's yer 'air blue?"

2D jerked his head to look at the boys. "Oh, um..."

"Excuse me," a man in nice-looking clothes approached the blunette and Noodle, giving the boys a passing glance that made them scurry off. "Are yew two in need of assistance?"

"Y-yeah, we need ta find te 'eadteacheh's office," said 2D.

The man looked him up and down, just as shocked as the boys were of his strange appearance, but, unlike them, too polite to ask any questions. "I can take yew 'ere, if yew will please follow me." He led them down one of the wide hallways before approaching a door. Through it were a series of interconnecting offices. Several people stopped what they were doing, one person even mid-staple, to stare at 2D as he walked by.

One of the people, nothing more than a teenager, had been talking with an adult at a desk when he looked up. He was wearing the same black trousers as the children in the courtyard, but had on a black shirt. He watched 2D and Noodle go by, a look of wonder and befuddlement on his face. "Ih can't be."

"Wot is ih?" the adult at the desk asked absentmindedly, just as entranced by 2D as anyone.

"I dun' know, 'e jus' seems so familiar, but I know ih can't be true. Then again," he looked down the narrow hall they had walked into that led to more offices, " 'oo else looks like tha'? But if ih _is _'im, then wot's 'e doin' 'ere?" By the time everybody went back to work, he convinced himself that it was just one of the universe's most confounding, and scary, coincidences.

2D and Noodle were left by the man in the nice-looking clothes, facing a large wooden door shut tight. There wasn't a little window on the door, but there were large windows beside it. They could peer inside to see a man hard at work at his desk, unaware he had guests. 2D rubbed his head nervously and looked around the office. Everyone had gone back to work, his presence only halting their productivity for a short while. He didn't see the familiar graying hair and hear that joking voice. Where was David?

"Toochie?" Noodle tugged on his jacket sleeve. "What doing?"

"Buyin' time."

Noodle quirked an eyebrow. She wasn't aware that one was able to purchase time, it seemed like a good idea. Minutes and hours that could be bought and spent to the owner's will. Or maybe buy back wasted time. Feel like an entire day was wasted, why not buy it back and retry? Now how much would a minute cost? "How much?" she asked.

"Wot?" but the door suddenly pulled open before anything could be elaborated on.

"Yew dun' 'ave ta stand out 'ere," said the headteacher. "Yer welcome inside." 2D spluttered a little in his befuddlement. "Unless, yew are not 'oo I am expectin'?"

"No, we are," the blunette finally managed to get out. "Misteh Thomas, sir," he extended his hand.

"An' yew must be Mister Pot," the man returned the handshake. "As I said, yer welcome ta come in, yew dun' 'ave ta stand out 'ere." 2D gave another quick look around before walking inside. He settled in one of the two chairs facing the desk, Noodle taking the other. She seemed to be getting more curious than uncomfortable about the situation. There were different pictures and awards on the walls that drew her attention. "So, yew wewd like ta enroll yer daughter 'ere at The Causeway School."

"Y-yeah. I jus' 'fought...ih wos close an' te credentials an' stuff..." he trailed off, nervously biting the inside of his cheek.

"Okay then." Mr. Thomas laid a file on his desk. "Noodaru Pot...is tha' the correct pronunciation?"

"Yeah, Noodaru, but yew can call 'er 'Noodle', tha's 'er nickname an' she responds betteh to ih." 2D began twiddling his thumbs, his clasped hands hidden between his knees. He felt so nervous and scared, almost as if he were a schoolboy and had gotten called to the headteacher's office for a punishment. He glanced over at Noodle, finding some comfort in the fact she was obviously not sharing his feelings. She couldn't sit still, twisting around in her chair to look at every inch of the room. Where was David?!

"Yew look a li'le ill," said Mr Thomas. "Wewd yew like a glass o' water?"

"No-no, I'm fine," but he secretly used his long leg to nudge a small trash can nearer to him, just in case something in his stomach decided to make a reappearance. "Jus' a tad nervous I guess." He managed to steady his shaky hand and give the folded-up sheet of paper from Dr. Wash. He almost screamed at himself for folding it and putting it in his pocket. It looked to unprofessional! What was he, a child with a parent's note?

"Yew needn't be." Mr. Thomas unfolded the paper and rubbed it on the edge of his desk to get the creases out. If he was bothered by the way it was presented, he showed no evidence, but 2D was making up all different sorts of thoughts in his own head about what the headteacher was thinking. "Doctor Wash eh? Good man." There was a stroke of luck!

"Yeh-yeh know 'im?" 2D spoke up, trying to at least get comfortable. Noodle was finally taking notice of his current state and the last thing he wanted to do was make her nervous as well.

"Yes, 'e's good in 'is profession. I've met some o' the children 'e's 'elped in the past. So...with Doctor Wash's blessin'," he reached into a nearby filing cabinet and pulled out a packet of papers, "let's get 'is final evaluation outta the way, shall we?" He had a small radio on his desk, which he pressed a button on and spoke into the speaker. "Diane, cewd yew come 'ere?"

A woman, 2D guessed she was one of the receptionists, poked her head into the office. "Yes?"

" 'Is is Noodaru, she needs ta complete an aptitude test before she can be admitted. Cewd yew take care o' 'er please?"

"O' course."

"Noodle," the girl turned her attention to 2D when he spoke, "take 'ese papehs an' go wiff 'is lady, alright? She'll tell yeh wot ta do an' I'll see yeh soon. Take yer time, okay?" Her eyes widened a little as he spoke, but she didn't say anything. Without a complaint or even a sound, she took the offered packet from Mr. Thomas and followed the receptionist out the door, her head tilted down at the printed words.

"Not very talkative, is she?" said Mr. Thomas. "So while she's out takin' the test, why dun' we chat a li'le?"

" 'Bout wot?" 2D squeaked.

"Well... 'bout 'er. If she's ta be admitted, wot do we need ta know ta 'elp 'er achieve academic succession?"

2D stared blankly while he worked through his mind what the man was talking about. _Dun' jus' 'ere like a blitherin' idiot! Say somefink! _" 'Er favorite color is purple."

Obviously not expecting this answer, Mr. Thomas's face changed to a look of complete shock and confusion. "Um...okay? Tha's not really wot I had in mind when I asked the question."

2D's entire body flinched when he realized the amount of stupidity he had just displayed. "No-no-no!" he shouted, slamming his closed fist against his forehead. "Tha's not wot I wanted ta say! She...I...I dun' know wot ta say! Wot shewd I say?!" WHERE WAS DAVID?!

"Do yew want me ta open a window?" Mr. Thomas asked cautiously.

"Nah, I'll pro'lly end up fallin' out o' ih. Jus' lemme get meh bearin's."

A knocking sound drew their attention to the open doorway. Despite having their complete attention trained on himself, David rapped his knuckles a few more times against the wooden rim. "I 'ope everyfing 'asn't gone ta 'ell."

"May I ask 'oo yew are?" asked Mr. Thomas.

" 'Is guy's pop," he approached the desk, tapping 2D's head as he went by. "David Pot, advisin' ta ensure nothin' dumb is said." He took Mr. Thomas's offered hand in a handshake before sitting down in the chair that had previously been occupied by Noodle.

"Too late fer tha'," 2D muttered, looking down at the floor. Though he was incredibly relieved that David had finally showed from wherever the hell he had been, he felt a small bit of his pride flicker and die as soon as he realized something. He _couldn't _function in these situations unless someone else took over. He recalled never giving a solo interview while in Gorillaz, there was always someone else there: Murdoc, Russel, Noodle, sometimes Jamie or Damon. He always figured it was just the way some things were, but now...

Things couldn't be like that anymore if he was to succeed. The thought scared him to death. It was always easier to let someone more qualified, or more willing, to take over something that you didn't want to do. But there were times where that was genuinely a bad thing. 2D could see several things flash in his mind. He was never alone in anything, he never did anything completely by himself all the way through. The current situation...nobody was going to do it for him. Noodle going into Rachel and David's care was a last resort if everything failed.

Someone tapped his shoulder, making him look up. Noodle, smiling happily, held out the packet of papers, pencil marks on every question on the front page. 2D's jaw dropped as he took the packet and flipped through it, looking at each question and its marked answers. All was quiet in the room. Mr. Thomas and David's previous discussion died out to silence. 2D stood up and placed the packet on the headteacher's desk. "I...I 'fink she's done."

The expression on the headteacher's face almost suggested he didn't want to touch the packet. He reached back into one of the filing cabinets, pulling out a single sheet of paper based on touch alone, refusing to lose eye contact with the packet. He placed the new sheet down and began looking through the papers, his eyes darting back to the sheet every once in a while. "I dun' believe 'is...she got 'em all right."

" 'Ow long wos she gone?" David asked, patting Noodle on the head when she wandered over to him since he was technically sitting in her seat.

"Fifteen minutes at the most." He sat back into his chair, exhaling a puff of breath. " 'Is is incredible! I've never seen anythin' like ih!"

"Sooo...is she in?" asked 2D.

"I think she more 'an qualifies. Tha's a bright child yeh got 'ere, Mister Pot."

"She certainly is," all doubt and worry had left 2D's voice. Everything was going great! Noodle was qualified to start schooling (he convinced himself he was never worried one bit about that) and they were one step closer to a normal life.

"So do any special factors need ta be taken inta account?"

David took over here, mostly because 2D was too preoccupied with celebrating with Noodle, who had no idea why they were happy but didn't seem to mind. " 'Er grasp o' te English language is not te strongest, but we are workin' wiff 'er on tha'. See 'ere," he tapped the Noodle's test, showing the small written kanji above the text in the questions, "she translated each question from te words she undehstood an' figured out wot ih wos askin' fo'. We jus' ask tha' te teachehs are patient."

"Duly noted. Anythin' else?"

" 'Is is 'er first time in actual school, I guess jus' watch 'er adjustment. She'll still be goin' ta see Doctor Wash an'...I guess we'll jus' see 'ow she copes in 'is new situation."

"Wonderful. Congratulations Miss Pot, yew start Monday."

* * *

Langney and The Causeway School...all I can say is 'Thank God for Google Maps!' I did as much research as I could, but portions of the school and some of the things that happen there are fictional, of course. I haven't been there, I'm not a complete expert of the schooling system in the UK, but I'll do my best and please bear with me.

This past week has been an absolute HELL! I got all four of my wisdom teeth removed and have been feeling like crap. Not much writing has gotten done. So the time I could have spent with Grandpa selling Christmas trees and making money has been spent brain-dead by painkillers on my couch. On another note, since I managed to update this, it means the world didn't end.

Happy Holidays everyone


	5. Into the Unknown

Into the Unknown

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

"Dun' tug, dear." Rachel pried Noodle's finger away from the collar of her white shirt to keep it from being stretched. She smoothed out the girl's uniform as best she could, but Noodle refused to sit still, trying in vain to wiggle out of the stiff, uncomfortable clothes she had been forced into. This had been, by far, the most complexing couple of days she had seen. Coming to this place, shopping, talking with Dr. Wash, going to the big building, and now, these clothes. As each day passed, she continued to wonder of the whereabouts of Russel and Murdoc, but 2D was unable to answer any questions she could formulate in English.

"Are we ready?" 2D held a small purple backpack, full of pencils, notebooks, erasers, and everything else Noodle would need. This was her official first day of school and, because of the circumstances, it was suggested by Mr. Thomas himself that Noodle be driven in instead of riding the bus. She was to be driven home as well, but the next day, she was to ride the bus. They would explain the meaning of bus along the way.

"Ready as eveh," David called from the kitchen.

"Yer not even comin'!" 2D said back. "Yer not payin' attention."

"Jus' 'cause te situation dun' apply ta me, doesn't mean I'm not payin' attention. Keeps me a'ead o' te rest. Yew do well ta remembeh."

"Noodle!" Rachel scolded, pulling her hand away from the tight collar. "Dun'chu want ta look all nice an' pretty fer yer first day?"

"Care like," she responded. 2D hid a chuckle after automatically translating her statement to mean 'like I care'. Her weak eloquence of the English language produced her own brand of phrases that could only make sense to someone used to hearing her speak, or was familiar with the same words she often heard. Sometimes, he figured she had purposely disguised many of her phrases so she could say something and nobody would know. Considering her past with them was abundant with Murdoc's company and colorful vocabulary, he actually wasn't surprised she had created these phrases to secretly speak her mind and appear to be saying gibberish.

"Okay, got everythin'?" asked Rachel.

"Backpack, everythin' in ih, lunch, an' Noodle." 2D edged toward the door, opening it to unintentionally let in a chilly breeze. He could see some of the children who lived in the neighboring houses walking together to reach the nearby bus stop. "Noodle," he called her over to him, "see 'ose kids? Tomorrow, yew walk wiff 'em. Got ih?"

" 'Kay," she responded, this time untucking her shirt from her trousers.

Rachel let out small strangled noise behind them, but instead decided to shove them out the door and toward the car. "I'll fix ih when we get 'ere," she muttered to herself.

Noodle settled herself in the back seat, remembering to buckle herself in after so long of riding in the belt-less Geep. As 2D and Rachel climbed in at the front, she scooted herself over to the window to watch the children as they walked. 2D said she was supposed to follow them tomorrow, so where were they going exactly? And where were they going now? Another morning of waking up early had left her in a sour mood. These clothes weren't making it any better. As the car rolled out of the driveway and down the street, she pressed her face close to the window, drawing back when her breath fogged it up. She grimaced and wiped it away just in time to see the large bus pull up to where the crowd of children had gathered.

"See tha' bus, Noodle?" said 2D. "Tomorrow, yer gonna get on ih, an' at te end o' te day, ih's gonna bring yeh back 'ere."

"Where being?" she asked.

"Where're yeh gonna be? At tha' buildin' we went ta on Friday. Yer gonna be 'ere wiff all te otheh children."

Noodle's eyes narrowed in thought at what he was saying. Those fuzzy memories came back to her. Children, all dressed similarly, the big building...Why were they there? What were they doing? What was their purpose? She fumbled for the button that would slide the window down, but they had already passed the bus. She twisted around to look back. She decided just to ask one of the children when she got to their destination. Not before entering, just to make sure she wasn't walking into a trap and could still get away.

"Yeh alright?" 2D saw her fidgeting in her seat. "Nervous?"

She wasn't sure he would understand what was going through her mind. "No," she replied. Whatever the fuzzy memories were about, she decided it was best to figure it out on her own, or at least have some understanding, before letting 2D know about them. They weren't like her nightmares, which terrified the life out of her. They weren't threatening, they were just confusing. She thought of how a different child might have handled the problems on that packet she had had to fill out. What if someone couldn't figure out their problem? What would they do? One tried to figure it out on their own for two reasons: either they wanted to try on their own to get the answer, or they didn't want someone else's help for fear of appearing incompetent. She wasn't either. She was thinking in 2D's favor. He already had a lot to think about, more than his poor mind could handle.

Noodle sighed and tugged at her collar again. The tag was rubbing against the back of her neck. She heard a sharp hiss from the front of the car. Aware that it was Rachel and not wanting to incite an unneeded argument, Noodle unhooked her finger and shuffled in her seat to sit nearer to the window. It wasn't raining today, but the Autumn temperature was apparent. Noodle used her pointer finger and drew a picture in the condensation on her window. After staring at the smiley face for a few moments, she wiped it away and continued to stare at the passing buildings.

They pulled up to a traffic light, one of the school buses coming to a halt beside them. Noodle's eyes widened as she looked up at all the similarly-dressed children horsing around in the larger vehicle. Two boys were talking animatedly, a girl was hunched over as she read a book, another boy was fast asleep, his face flattened against the large seat in front of him. Noodle jerked her head upon realizing her breath was fogging it up again. By the time she had wiped it again, the car and bus were both in motion and the bus took a left turn.

"Damn all!" she growled, recalling Murdoc's reactions whenever something didn't work in his favor.

"Noodle!" the car jerked as Rachel accidentally stepped on the brake. "Wot language fer a li'le girl! Dun'chu eveh say tha' again!" 2D stiffened up upon hearing his mother being so stern, his head jerking in Noodle's direction so she was able to see his terrified expression. She cussed at Kong, and they tried to tell her it wasn't acceptable, but they mostly assumed she didn't know what she was saying. "Do yew undehstand me?"

"Hai," Noodle murmured. Russel had yelled at her like that once, but it was because she had run in the street one time. It had upset her then and this upset her now. Nobody liked being yelled at, but she managed to figure out it was because she had said the 'Murdoc Words'. Most of what he did was morally wrong, so it seemed his speech was too. But she remembered sometimes Russel and 2D said those words too. "Why?"

"Why are 'ose words bad?" said 2D.

"Hai."

" 'Cause 'ose are grown-up words. When yew grow up, yew can use 'em, but not in everyday conversation. 'Ere's times yew can use 'em an' times yeh can't."

They got caught up with the buses and other cars at the school. Noodle moved to the window again, looking intensely at the other children. They didn't seemed frightened or showing any negative emotions. Those in groups larger than one seemed pretty active with one another. She managed to peek at the entrance. They were freely entering, some were stationed outside, apparently awaiting friends that quickly joined. Two boys had their lunches open and were swapping certain food items. A group of girls were talking with one another with annoyed expressions on their faces, complete with rolling eyes.

"Alright Noodle," their car pulled into a spare spot in the car park. "Do yew want us ta come wiff yew?" 2D turned in his seat, watching her carefully for any sign of underlying feelings.

Noodle stared at the entrance to the building, carefully observing the children and their behaviors. There was something familiar about it all and she knew she couldn't settle until she figured it out. "No..." She could handle this. She unbuckled her safety belt and slipped the backpack on before grabbing her lunch and slipping out of the car.

"Yeh sure, love?" 2D had rolled down his window and hung the front half of his body out. "No one'll make fun o' yew."

"Stay," she said, holding up her hand, palm facing outward at him. "Watashi hakorewo shori surukotogadekimasu." (Translation: 'I can handle this.') Though a little hurt, he slipped back in through the window, but that didn't stop him from leaning out as she made her way through the cars to the entrance. Noodle glanced over her shoulder, realizing they weren't going to leave until she went in. That wasn't according to her plan. She took in a deep breath and walked inside, prepared to leap back out as soon as they were gone to question the children.

"Whoa! Watch ih!" Noodle had been walking backward, bumping into a girl.

"Watashi wo yurushi tekudasai." (Translation: 'Please forgive me.')

The girl's eyebrows shot up her forehead in surprise. "Wot's tha'? Wot'cha say?" She didn't seem angry, just confused and a bit curious.

"Must go," Noodle ducked back out of the entrance. The car with Rachel and 2D in it had just left the car park. There were still plenty of vehicles and children coming in. She had time and plenty to choose from. Might as well get started. She turned to the group of girls still clustered together. As she got closer, their expressions became more apparent, complete annoyed tones that, for some reason, made her sick to her stomach. "Watashi haanatanotamenjikutsuka shitsumon gaarimasu." (Translation: 'I have some questions for you.')

They turned to look at her, their expressions becoming so sour she almost wanted to stomp their faces in. "Wot d'yew want?"

Noodle swallowed a bit of bile and pointed at the building. "Questions."

"Wot wos she sayin' before?" one of them asked her friends, completely ignoring Noodle's existence.

"Some kinda foreignese."

"I dun' speak ih, wotever ih is."

"Well, wot does she want?"

"Questions!" Noodle repeated, annoyed by their behavior.

"Listen," one of them spoke directly to her, "why don'cha slink back ta wherever yeh came from, hmm?"

Noodle bit the inside of her cheek, trying her damn hardest to not kick some sense into these girls. Nobody liked being ignored when asking for help. These girls made her violently ill. "Fuck you!" she screamed before running off, leaving them in utter shock. She quickly ducked behind the corner of the building, slightly more worried about being scolded than the girls retaliating. She had just said another Murdoc Word and Rachel and 2D had just made it perfectly clear that she wasn't supposed to say them. They weren't here anymore, but she still felt a little bad about doing something they said not to.

Now what else was there to do? She sighed and stuffed the hand not holding her lunch into the pocket of her purple jumper that the other young children wore as well. She pulled out a folded piece of paper that had been stuffed in there after a corner stabbed her hand. It had the English spelling of her name on it. Curious, she unfolded it to see both English and messy kanji written on it.

**Noodle, go to the headteacher's office. He will help you.**

Okay, so she was supposed to go to the man's office they had visited for her to take that test. He had seemed nice enough, but she recalled he made 2D frightfully nervous. This was the only lead she had on what to do next. The children were beginning to migrate into the building. By her observation, she could see they didn't seem afraid, some seemed a little dishearteningly slow to enter, but not frightened. At least those girls were gone. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation if she was supposed to come here regularly. She didn't want enemies.

The children were milling about in the halls, mingling with those they knew and avoiding those who they didn't seem to favor. She caught snippets of conversations and none seemed negative to a great degree. Some were worried about homework assignments, some about other things at home. There was 'Mum won't lemme go ta Trent's birthday party' and 'I can't believe I finally managed ta do a wheelie on meh bike!'. Most of it she couldn't comprehend, but no one seemed to have something negative to say about this place in particular.

The headteacher's office... She looked around the halls teeming with children and some adults. It looked so different with people around and she was finding it difficult to recall where she was supposed to go exactly. The people were blocking important clues to point her way. Wait... Noodle walked up to the large windows of the courtyard. The door into the maze of offices was somewhere nearby. The rush of people suddenly got more violent. They began rushing around in such a flurry, Noodle was pushed and shoved until she was dizzy. Before she could even plant her feet, the halls were empty.

"What?" she said aloud, twisting on the spot for any sight of a person. The halls were empty. Again, she was struck with nostalgia. There was something so familiar it was almost scary. It almost seemed that the children were perfectly trained. And then there was their uniforms, this buildings, each had their own supplies... She swung her back pack off and began routing through it. Pencils, papers, journals, it looked like office supplies. Her hunch was that each child had these, so what purpose did children have for them? What purpose did children have being here? What was the reason for this building's existence?

What purpose did children have to be weapons?

The strange realization was so strong that it overtook her. Noodle panicked, leaving her backpack behind as she fled down a hallway. Her shoes were too noisy against the linoleum. Afraid someone would hear, she took them off and carried them, searching desperately for a place to hide. There was something vicious looming in her hazy memories and it was getting stronger the longer she stayed here. She crashed into the front doors so hard she stumbled backward onto the floor with a cry of pain. Even more confused, and this time with a throbbing pain in her shoulder, she scrambled back to her feet and took off in a different direction.

* * *

"Yeh 'fink she'll do okay?" 2D was fiddling with the window button on his door's armrest.

"I'm sure she'll do fine, love," said Rachel, but she was almost ill with worry. She hoped Noodle had found 2D's message in her pocket. David had helped with the kanji by using the Internet, but he didn't have much faith in it. He made up for it by saying she was a smart kid. If she needed help, she would ask for it.

"I jus' feel so lonely all o' a sudden," said 2D. "She's at school an' I feel useless."

"Yew are far from useless. Yer 'er caretakeh now. She'll need 'elp on 'omework an' learnin' English."

"Friends cewd 'elp 'er."

"Stuart," she sighed. "Ih's normal fer children ta make friends. Ih'll be 'ealthy fer 'er development an' people skills. 'Ey'll 'elp 'er perfect 'er English an' 'elp 'er adjust ta normal life." _I jus' 'ope 'ey'll be good role models. Te last 'fing I want is fer 'er ta be exposed ta a bad crowd. _Rachel pulled the car into their driveway. 2D was incredibly sluggish in getting out, almost as if he had melted into himself. "Stuart, ih'll be okay- dear God!"

"Wot?" his head snapped around, dents flashing white temporarily.

"I fo'got ta tuck in Noodle's shirt!"

The blunette stumbled through the front door, completely ignoring his mother's obsession with his young charge's appearance. He looked up momentarily to see David leaning back in his chair in the kitchen to look down the hall " 'Ow'd ih go? She give yeh any trouble?"

"She seemed a li'le wary, but wanted ta approach te buildin' on 'er own," said Rachel, shutting the door as she came in. "She didn't want our 'elp."

"We shewd've gone anyway," 2D insisted. "We shewdn't 'ave left 'er 'ere."

"Baby bird's gotta leave te nest," said David. "She'll be fine. I 'ad faith in yew, didn't I?" He settled his chair back firmly on the floor and leaned over the table, reading the newspaper.

"Are we goin' ta the fairgrounds?" 2D asked, slumping into a nearby chair and laying his head on the table. "Ih'll take meh mind off all 'is." He was silent for a bit before sighing deeply. "I'm useless."

"I dun' know wot 'ose bullies 'ave been sayin', but yer not useless."

"Da'! I'm not twelve anymore!"

"I know, but tha's all I've got."

* * *

Noodle knew she couldn't stay here long. The cleaning chemicals were starting to make her dizzy and were impeding in her ability to plan. This place itself was not dangerous, she knew that, but it was making her nightmares surface in the waking world. She didn't know how to deal with this. The nightmares were her burden alone to carry and she carried it well enough, but this was beginning to get beyond her control. Everything about this place was digging its claws into her psyche and dragging everything up. She might have been overjoyed to begin to see the hazy memories starting to clear up, but this was a hurricane of images.

The sound of footsteps made her stiffen up. Someone was walking in the hall and getting steadily closer to her hiding place. She wasn't scared of the person, she was more frightened of the memory that might show up when faced against them. Fear the person's presence, not the person themselves. Noodle struggled to her feet, accidentally banging her head on a shelf. She hissed in pain and annoyance. If she had her helmet, maybe it would keep the memories from escaping. And maybe her head wouldn't be so sore, but the helmet was back at David and Rachel's house.

She reacted instinctively when the door suddenly opened. As the light flooded into her hiding place, she sprang forward, shoving past the shocked janitor and racing down the hall. The halls were still empty, the children were still in the rooms. The rooms! Children in matching uniforms, sitting in straight rows as a person in a white coat stood in front of them. Why the children? Why were they there? What was their purpose?

"Naze kodomo?!" she yelled. (Translation: 'Why the children?!') It was too much. She couldn't handle the images. The children in uniform, the shocking white walls, the white-coats, but why was it in all in her mind? _Was _it all in her mind? Were the images just things she had made up? Something told her no. The images were real, she had seen them herself in person, but why couldn't she remember? The amnesia...Why did she have it? Was it to protect her? Did someone want her to forget? It was too much...

She fainted.

* * *

Mrs. Mason stared at an empty seat in her English classroom. There were two empty seats, but she knew one of the missing students was most likely on his way at this moment. He was often late and the year had barely begun. She was more worried about the other student. She had been summoned to Mr. Thomas' office along with several other teachers for an explanation of the situation. A new student had just been admitted. She was adopted, spoke broken English, just moved here, and was incredibly intelligent for her age.

But where was she? She was supposed to go to the headteacher's office for guidance, but she should have been here by now. She had given the children an assignment in their journals to keep them busy while she waited for any news concerning the girl's disappearance. She grew steadily more nervous as the clock's minute hand clicked by. Something had gone wrong.

"Ms. Kendricks!" she snapped out of her funk in time to spot a young student propping their feet up on their desk. "Feet down."

"Oh coom on! Ye joost stallin'. Do we 'ave a real assignment or wot?"

"Are yew finished?" It wouldn't surprise her. Ms. Kendricks was notorious for quick work, but it was always superb. At least in writing.

"I think ye can answer yer own question."

"Cewd yew at least not be such an interruption? Teachers tryin' ta teach an'-"

"An' students are tryin' ta stude," Kendricks cut in.

The classroom door burst open and Cody Slate stumbled through, breathing hard from his asthma. He was always forgetting his inhaler at home and had to go back for it. That was why he was always late, it happened so often that Mrs. Mason didn't bother taking attendance until the middle of class. He panted deeply, leaning against her desk to catch his breath. "Missus *huff* Mason! Yeh gotta *huff* come quick! 'Ere's a girl *huff* in the 'all! I think she's dead!"

_Looks like I found meh missin' student. _She got up from her chair and started to go out into the hall, pausing in the doorway when she heard the scraping of chairs. "All o' yew, sit back down."

"Oh sure, soomthin' interestin' 'appens an' ye want us ta stay back?" said the Kendricks girl.

"Tha's exactly wot I want."

"I 'ope soomday ye realize we outnoomber ye twenteh ta one." It was a completely empty threat; in fact, it could barely count as one. Kendricks was harmless, she wouldn't hurt a fly. Mrs. Mason was used to her strange 'threats'. She just wanted to stir things up a little in a relatively boring school atmosphere. She almost couldn't blame her.

"Will yew at least stop tha' insufferable fake accent?"

"An' how do ye know ih's fake?"

"Because yew've never been ta Liverpool in yer life." Cody's wheezing breathes made her turn her attention back to him. That was when she noticed the purple backpack at his feet. "Did...yew get a new backpack?"

"Wha-? Oh, ih's not mine." He picked it up and handed it to her. "I found ih by the courtyard. I think ih's the girl's."

"Probably." Mrs. Mason picked it up by the top strap and laid it on her desk before walking out into the hall. She saw the girl almost immediately, curled up on the linoleum with no shoes on. No one else was around at the moment. She hurried over, glancing around as she knelt down. This was definitely her missing student, she had never seen her before at the school. Mrs. Mason looked up to see all of her students crowded in the doorway of her classroom. _Might as well make one o' 'em useful. _"Ms. Kendricks, please go get the nurse."

"Y'okay," she scurried off.

"An' the 'eadteacher!" Mrs. Mason called after her.


	6. Pepper

Pepper

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

Noodle cracked her eyes open. The room was white- of course. She half-expected the visions to start flashing again. Or maybe this was one, maybe she was trapped inside her nightmares. The white-coats would come in and do...things. She wasn't quite sure what. There must be a name for the white-coats. She had seen people like that before- looking all official and important. They were in the movies a lot, like 2D's zombie flicks, experimenting on the living dead as the creatures strained against leather straps to to kill them. She wasn't being held down and she couldn't see any white-coats.

"Are yew okay?" A woman moved into Noodle's line of sight. " 'Ello?"

"Noodle," here was someone she recognized. It was the headteacher, the man who made 2D nervous. " 'Ow do yew feel? Wewd yew like me ta call yer father?"

"Call?" she asked.

"Yes," he pointed to a phone on the wall. "I can call 'im an' 'e can come get yew. 'E can take yew 'ome."

Home- or, more specifically, David and Rachel's house. Should she let him? This was the first time the nightmares had done anything truly menacing. They had often made her sleep-deprived, but they had just been scary images. Now they had emerged into her waking world. They were influencing her mind now, turning everything she saw, even things that were completely harmless, into terrifying, exaggerated versions of the real world. She feared what could become of her if they got stronger, but still didn't want 2D to worry. He had too much to worry him and she didn't know how much of it he could handle.

"No," she answered. "No calling."

"Are yew sure? If yer ill, yew shewdn't be 'ere. Yew shewd be at 'ome restin'."

She wasn't ill, not in body anyhow. Her mind was still up for debate. She could suppress it, she had to, and she would. "Being okay," she sat up, noticing she was on a cushioned bench a few feet off the floor. There were two women in the room actually. One had white clothing, but she wasn't a white-coat and she didn't seem threatening in the least.

"If everythin's wrapped up 'ere," said the woman who had spoke first, "I'm goin' ta return ta meh class."

" 'Oo's watchin' 'em now?" asked Mr. Thomas.

"Ms. Kendricks, most likely."

"Oh dear, is she a Ralph or a Jack? I keep forgettin'."

"I believe she's a Ralph," answered Mrs. Mason, recognizing the Lord of the Flies reference. Kendricks was...eccentric, and she preferred to leave it at that. She was familiar with the girl's older brother and knew of an older sister. The brother didn't stand out too much in her memory. Quiet, lazy, an underachiever, but at least he wasn't a troublemaker. Apparently the sister was more promising. Overall, that family- though she hated to judge- didn't stand out too much, at least academically.

"Well, yer class shewd still be in one piece, but I suggest goin' back quickly."

"Wot about Miss Pot?"

Noodle looked up. Mr. Thomas had referred to her as 'Pot' before. She knew it was David and Rachel's last name, same as Murdoc's was Niccals and Russel's was Hobbs. Nobody had told her, but she assumed 2D's last name was Pot as well. David and Rachel were his parents and now it seemed Pot was her last name as well. It made her feel a little bit happy. They had accepted her into the family enough to give her their last name. "I be going?"

Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Mason looked uneasily at each other. "I guess ih wewdn't 'urt. Maybe she wos jus' nervous," said Mr. Thomas.

"C'mon dear." Noodle jumped off the bench and followed her teacher out.

"Yeh might wanna put 'ese on first," Mr. Thomas handed over the pair of shoes she had shed earlier.

The students were no longer crowded in the classroom doorway, but the sounds inside indicated they were still there and being rather rambunctious. The minute they stepped inside, Noodle felt any trace of her nightmares leave her. These children weren't uniform in behavior. They were sitting on their desks, throwing paper airplanes at each other, and drawing on the chalkboard. They weren't soldiers, they were children. "Oh my," Mrs. Mason strode over to a single girl that stood out, the one who had the chalk. "Miss Kendricks, ih wewd be most appreciated if yew wewd 'and tha' over an' compose yerself as the young lady I know yer capable o' bein'."

"Doon' get'cher 'opes oop," the girl replied. She peered around the teacher, staring quite curiously at Noodle, before complying and giving up the chalk.

"Okay class, 'is is Noodaru Pot-"

"Welcome to the Ninth Circle uv 'Ell, Noodaru," said Kendricks.

"Miss Kendricks, fer the love o' God!"

"Alright-alright." Kendricks settled back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"As I wos sayin', 'is is Noodaru Pot. She doesn't speak English very well an' I'm relyin' on all o' yew ta 'elp 'er."

"Wot makes ye think we're goonna be a big 'elp?" asked Kendricks.

"Dun' start with tha'. Yew forget I grade yew in 'is class an' I know wot yer capable of." Mrs. Mason glanced up at the clock, realizing Noodle's introduction was all she could really do at the moment. "Now Noodaru, do yew know where ta go next? 'Is class is gonna be over soon."

* * *

There was definitely something about this place that her nightmares didn't like, but Noodle couldn't find anything threatening about it. The children all moved in unison to get to another place in a time limit, but nothing in their behavior was even remotely similar to what she had originally thought. They weren't trained soldiers- in the way they acted, she wasn't even sure they were house-trained- they were just normal children; at least, she made that assumption from other children she had seen on playgrounds. She never really interacted with them. They were too childish- believe it or not- for her. So this place wasn't threatening, but the same couldn't be said about the people within it.

" 'Ey, watch ih!" Noodle turned to see she had backed into someone while looking around at all the tables with their seated occupants currently eating their lunches. This girl...uh-oh. "Oh, ih's yew," she stated, not even bothering to try and hide the disgust in her voice. It was one of the girls from the group that morning, the ones she had shouted the Murdoc Words at. At the moment, it seemed she was alone. "Wot's yer problem?!"

Noodle was positive she herself did not have a problem, the same couldn't be said about this girl. "If have, solve it," she said.

"Wot did yew jus' say ta me?!" Obviously, this girl wasn't used to people talking back. Noodle supposed it was the perfect time in her life to meet a little moxie, she had plenty to spare.

"If have problem, solve it. That...that they there for."

"Wot are yew, stupid? Speak normal English!"

Noodle could feel the rage burning her up inside. She always felt this familiar sensation whenever someone spoke harsh words at her boys. Normally, it was Murdoc doing it to 2D, but there had been instances of other people going head to head with the Satanist and Russel. She was sure they could handle themselves, but it always made her furious to see people talking to them in such a way, the way this girl was talking now.

"Did yeh 'ear me?!"

Her patience was up. Noodle swung her backpack off, sure and ready to teach this girl a lesson she needed to learn. Her concentration was broken when two other girls she recognized from the group came and joined her opponent. She was pretty sure she could still take the three of them despite the power in numbers. Skills were a more determining factor anyhow. How much experience could they possibly have? They were too made-up, already beginning to wear make-up though barely into teenhood. They couldn't fight, they would break a nail and smudge some mascara.

" 'Ey now," a hand caught Noodle on her shoulder. "Erin, causin' trooble again?"

The first girl sneered nastily. "Shut ih, Pepper! Shewda known 'is piece o' work wos with yew. Jus' keep 'er away from me!" She turned away, the other two girls obediently following to their table, where the entire group stared hatefully.

"Should have left 'lone," Noodle mumbled, turning slightly to look at who had stopped her defending her honor.

"Not the best decision on yer part." It was the Kendricks girl- Pepper, her name was Pepper. For the first time, Noodle got a true and good look at her. She was almost angry at herself for not noticing an incredible discerning factor. This girl wasn't wearing the uniform. She had the purple jumper tied around her waist, but donned a pair of ratty trousers and an old t-shirt. Noodle gaped at her, wondering how she got away with not wearing the outfit that was giving her so much grief. "Did ye break? Oh, the outfit. They started makin' me wear ih, but I kept gettin' ih dirteh. I work in the theater, buildin' sets, they joost finalleh gave oop. Kinda nice. Now fer formal introductions: I'm Pepper Kendricks," she held out her hand.

Noodle recognized the gesture as friendly, but wasn't sure how to complete her part in it. She placed her palm against Pepper's instead. "Noodaru."

"Good enough," Pepper shrugged. "Ye best stay away from Erin." She grasped Noodle by the shoulders and spun her around to point out the girl Noodle had almost set straight. "Erin Dailey, I'll tell ye 'is, there's a lot uv people 'ere 'oo'd like ta give 'er the wot-for, but she's got the resources ta make yer existence a livin' 'Ell. Take ih froom me."

"Being Hell?" Noodle asked gesturing to her new ally.

"Am I in 'Ell? Wewdn't say tha' really, but ye gotta stay a step ahead, or she'll get'cha. Stick with me an' I'll show ye the oonderbelly uv school-life. First objective, gettin' me belly actualleh filled. Join me crew." She let go of Noodle's shoulders, leaving raised bunches of cloth from where her fingers had pulled at the fabric of the shirt. The strange girl spun on the spot and started walking away, leaving Noodle standing there in complete confusion. "Coom on now!" Pepper called out to her.

Noodle looked around. She had noticed some of the children had paid rapt attention when the stand-off between Pepper and Erin was underway, but no one was watching as the girl had skipped off between the tables. She realized this behavior was probably normal concerning Pepper Kendricks. They were used to it and now it seemed she needed to get used to it as well. Pepper had claimed her as a friend. Noodle shrugged to herself- it was better than being alone. At least Pepper seemed to know what was going on. She could prove a good source for information about Eastbourne, if this was truly going to be Noodle and 2D's new home. With no other option, Noodle followed her new friend to a table by a window. There was a whole group of children not wearing the uniform sitting there, eating, talking, and pulling faces at each other.

"We're an odd boonch," said Pepper as Noodle approached. Odd bunch indeed. One of the boys had sawdust in his hair, a girl had a green paint smear on her face, and another girl was eating her lunch while wearing rubber gloves, her fingers covered in black grease. Pepper herself seemed a little ragged but, despite some bandages on her fingers, she was cleaner than some of these kids. Her short chestnut hair was pulled back into an unnecessary ponytail, the hair being so short it couldn't stayed in the elastic band properly. Noodle did notice a strange reddish mark on the nape of her neck, but passed it as probably paint. "We may not be the pick uv the litter, but ih'd be a joy if ye'd consider joinin' in."

"Joining in?" They wanted her to join their group. In everyone else's eyes, these children were probably cast-offs. They stayed together and bothered no one, and, in return, most people didn't bother them. They knew what to do and where to go in several possible scenarios and others respected them for it and maybe even would seek out their assistance. In Noodle's eyes, this raggedy bunch of outcasts covered in paint and debris was exactly where she wanted to be. She tugged at the collar of her shirt. "Still must be wearing?" she asked.

Pepper smirked. "Tha' old thing? Joost get permission froom Mister Thomas. Say yer one uv oos now an' 'e'll consent. We still gotta wear 'em on special occasions, but they, an' I mean the bigwigs," she pointed at the ceiling for some strange reason, "wewd prefer we didn't wear 'em ta joost get 'em filtheh an' damaged. Saves our parents mooney an' the bigwigs their 'air," she mocked yanking out one's hair, a wild expression adorned on her face. "Speakin' uv parents, why are yers enrollin' ye at this point in the school year?"

"She jus' moved 'ere, Pepper," said the girl with the rubber gloves.

"Right, pardon me," Pepper clapped her hands together. "Sit! Sit! Tell yer tale. Where ye froom?"

Noodle settled on the bench, finally unzipping her backpack to eat her lunch. "Being from Essex."

"Loovely," said Pepper, her head supported in her hands, elbows rested on the table.

"Not sure being here how long. Come with Toochie, but no Russel-san or Murdoc-san. Toochie say be staying long."

"Toochie," Pepper said back at her, grinning at the absurd name. "Noodaru, wot language is tha'? Sounds like Noodle-roo. Slips off the tongue, eh?" Without warning, she reached forward and swiped one of Noodle's food items, revealing itself to be cookies. " 'Ow'd ye like I swap these fer soomthin' better?"

"Pepper," said one of children, "can't yeh jus' let 'er enjoy 'er food?"

"Wot'cha say?" Pepper asked, ignoring her friend. Noodle, completely confused as to what was going on, shrugged her shoulders in response. Pepper leaped up from her sitting position and almost sprinted to another table. She bent over, one elbow on the top of the table she had rushed to, waving the small bag of cookies as she talked to the children at that table. Before long, she came skipping back and deposited two brownies in front of Noodle. "Barterin', ye see? Trade one thing fer anoother. The politicians wewd be so proud we're learnin' this lesson at sooch a yoong age!" she sniffled, as if she were actually moved to tears. After wiping away an imaginary tear and giggling to herself, she sat back down opposite of Noodle. "Like I said, I'll teach ye the way uv the oonderachiever."

Her attention was drawn to above Noodle's head, causing the girl to tip backwards to see what had shown up. " 'Ey Pepper," it was Erin, surrounded by her 'very ferocious' posse, "yeh smell like crap. Isn't there any runnin' water at tha' broken-down shack o' yers?"

Noodle's eyes widened and she focused her attention on Pepper. The girl had stopped the earlier confrontation and Noodle could see this bait a mile away. But would Pepper take it? To Noodle's complete amazement, the strange girl swept her arms out at her sides in a dramatic fashion, bringing them upward to place her hands over her heart and smiling sweetly, while saying in a mock-despair voice, "Oh, me hippie parents." For the strangest reason, that seemed to do the trick. Erin displayed disgust and abruptly left, her posse following. "She never seems ta learn."

"Maybe some day," said the boy with the sawdust in his hair.

"I doubt ih," said the girl with the gloves.

"She'll always try ta get a rise outta ye," Pepper explained. "Ye joost doon' let 'er feel satisfied. I got an idea- why doon'cha coom over?" Noodle stood up and started walking around the edge of the table. "No," Pepper laughed, "not ta my side uv the table, ta me 'ouse."

Noodle paused, trying to recall what 2D and Rachel had said about after her time here was over. They would come get her and she was to ride the bus tomorrow. Pepper wanted her to go to her house, but maybe there was the chance it was near Rachel and David's house. "Crescent Gate?" she asked.

"Cre-wot? I live on Shadeh Lane. Rather nice place all in all. So, wot were ye sayin'?"

"Crescent Gate," she repeated. "That being where I go."

"Oh, ye live on Crescent Gate. Sounds fanciful, so wot'cha say?"

This was certainly an interesting proposal. This was her first day here and it appeared she had already found someone willing to be her friend. Or maybe the situation was swapped. This girl already had a group of friends and had asked Noodle to join. If this was going to be her new life, Noodle decided it wasn't too bad. They were odd, but she liked odd. Also, if she joined them, she wouldn't have to wear this uniform. Maybe she would get her helmet back from Rachel as well. If this meeting at Pepper's house would cement the bond, it was definitely worth going for.

"Hai, will go."

" 'Ello, tha's good."

"No," said Noodle. "_Hai_."

" 'Ello," Pepper raised an eyebrow. "I wos under the impression we were alreadeh acquainted."

Okay then... "Hai meaning...meaning 'yes'?"

"Oh, ih means 'yes'. Ta oos, ih means 'ello or the opposite uv low. But, ih seems yer agreein' ta join me. Meet me out froont at the end uv the day."

* * *

"I dun' 'fink I've been so bored in meh entire life." 2D rolled off the couch and fell flat on the carpet. He grunted on impact, but refused to get up, leaving his nose buried in the carpet.

" 'Ow 'bout'chu stop inhalin' carpet crumbs an' 'op in te car?" said David, shaking the keys over his son's head. 2D tilted his head a little to look up at David. "Wanna go fer car ride? Wanna go fer a ride? C'mon!"

"I'm not a dog. Wot time is ih?"

"Time fer yew ta get a watch." He tossed the keys upward, swiping them in mid air. "An' time ta go get Noodle." 2D leaped up, stumbling and upsetting a tea table. He fell over the top of it after it crashed to the floor. "Wow, yew are a dog."

"Shut ih!" 2D scrambled up, patting out the wrinkles in his shirt. "An' I'm fine by te way. Now let's go get Noodle!" He shot out the door, his jacket on by only one sleeve. "Let's go- let's go- let's go!" David was pretty sure he would have shattered the window to get inside if he hadn't unlocked the door. For a moment, he considered the idea of it being actually possible for Noodle to see 2D as a father figure. He had already become more mature in handling factors concerning Noodle's future, but she was, in all complete honesty, smarter than him, even though she didn't have the life experience. Maybe she did and the amnesia was blocking it.

The amnesia...what was it hiding? What was Noodle beneath the haze? If she was this intelligent without her past memories, he could only imagine what she was actually capable of. Would she even need their guidance? She was obviously gifted at some level, he wasn't too familiar with those charts and scales psychologists used, but the amnesia was holding her back. Maybe she was sent from the future to help the people of the present. Maybe she was some sort of robot. Maybe he was watching too many science fiction movies. 2D was bouncing in his seat as they drove. David was almost tempted to shove him in the leg space in the back just to keep him out of the all his blind spots. If the blunette could hardly handle one day, he was beginning to foresee a very annoying routine in the near future.

" 'Ow do yeh 'fink Noodle 'andled 'er first day?" said David.

"I dun' know! We'll ask 'er when we get 'ere! Are we almost 'ere yet? Are we gettin' close? Oh, 'ere's a school bus! We're close!"

_'Onestly, 'oo's te kid in 'is situation? _David wondered as they drove past more departing buses. He double-checked the doors were locked before pulling into a space in car park. 2D slammed into his door as soon as the car stopped moving, fumbling for the lock before landing on the asphalt. "Yeh 'it yer 'ead? 'Cause, yeh know, tha' wewd probably be a very bad 'fing in yer case."

"I'm fine!" he jumped up and took off for the building, almost getting slammed by a departing car.

"Ih's amazin' 'e 'asn't been killed twenty times oveh," David thought aloud. Most of the children had already boarded their buses, were picked up by their parents, or were walking home if they lived close enough. The front walk was relatively empty and that was how an uneasy feeling settled in the older man's stomach. 2D stuck out like a sore thumb- a blue, sore thumb- and he would have even if the walk had been filled. His distressed expression became more apparent as David got closer, which did little to calm his unease. 2D and Rachel has told Noodle to wait to be picked up out front.

She was nowhere to be seen on the almost-empty walk.

"Where is she?!" 2D asked frantically. "She wos supposed ta be out 'ere. She ain't 'ere! Somefink's wrong!"

"Calm down, Stu. Maybe she's still inside, askin' 'er teacheh a question or somefink." 2D barreled through the doors, almost taking out a poor woman as he ran off. David followed at a brisk, more controlled pace, but he was beginning to feel that uneasy feeling blossom into panic. They had to find Mr. Thomas. He wasn't sure what the headteacher could do, but it seemed like the wisest choice at the moment. He had lost 2D as he turned off into the door he knew led into the maze of offices. "Misteh Thomas?"

"Mister Pot," the man was collecting some of things together, obviously getting ready to leave. "Welcome back," he said in a confused tone. "Is 'ere somethin' wrong?"

"Noodle wos told ta wait fer us out front, but she ain't 'ere."

"Wot kinda school yeh runnin' 'ere?!" 2D jumped up from behind David, spooking his father enough that the older man almost took a swing at him. "Where's Noodle? I demand ta know where she is!"

"Stuart, calm down. Te only way ta get 'is resolved is ta stay calm."

"Someone kidnapped 'er, I know ih!" he howled, ultimately silenced when David shoved him down into a chair and manually shut his jaw.

A receptionist peeked up after taking cover behind her desk, choosing to speak up now that any chance of a possible threat had subsided. "I wewd be glad ta assist as best I can. 'Oo are we talkin' about 'ere?"

"Noodaru Pot, jus' enrolled, 'is wos 'er first day," said David. The door opened, the young man who came through pausing in confusion as he looked at the scene before him. He gave each person involved a hazy stare before edging around them to continue about his business. "Anyway...yeah, Noodaru, she likes ta be called Noodle."

"Pardon me?" the man suddenly spun around, quickly enough that Mr. Thomas side-stepped on instinct to avoid being smacked by some long beads the man had on. "Noodaru? Oh such a lovely li'le thing! Darlin' really, so darlin'." David wasn't prejudiced in anyway, but he didn't even need to guess about this man's sexual orientation. He was completely fine with it and seeing as how he may have some information on Noodle's whereabouts, David almost considered kissing him.

"Yew know where Noodle is?" 2D jumped up, grabbing the man by his shoulders.

"Last time I saw 'er wos outside. Last classes jus' let out," he said back, a hand tugging at 2D's tightly clamped fingers with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"Yes-yes! Tha' wos where she wos supposed ta be, waitin' fer us!"

"Oh, she got on a bus." 2D's grip loosened, his lanky arms falling to his sides. His dents went shocking white as he stared at the man in a complete horrified stupor. Noodle had gotten on a bus, but did she know which one to get to take her back to Crescent Gate? Besides, she had been told to wait anyway. Why did she do it? They weren't late in picking her up.

"Jake," Mr. Thomas spoke up, "are yew sure yew saw 'er?"

"Cewdn't miss tha' darlin' li'le angel. She wos outside with Pepper Kendricks." He almost didn't have to say anything else. Mr. Thomas' expression seemed to reveal everything going through his mind simply at the mention of Pepper's name.

"Oh dear," the headteacher mumbled.

"Where is Noodle?!" 2D suddenly exploded.

David grabbed his son firmly by the shirt and dragged him off into a corner, kicking his legs out from underneath him. "Yew sit, yew stay, I gotta make a call." He swiped one of the phones off a nearby desk, struggling to hold the body as he dialed with the receiver on his shoulder. "Rachel? Yeah, okay, dun' freak out-" he paused a for a second, "I said _dun' _freak out! Listen, apparently Noodle got on a bus instead o' waitin' fer us. Can yew go ta the drop-off point near te 'ouse an' check if she's 'ere? Call me when yeh 'ave."

"I am so sorry," said Mr. Thomas.

"No big deal," but 2D's quiet sniffling said the exact opposite of what his father had just said. The blunette's jaw trembled as he envisioned all the bad things that could be happening to his precious charge. She was lost on the streets, confused on where to go. She was hungry since she hadn't eaten since lunch. She was soaking wet (even though it hadn't been raining) and was getting sick.

"Noodle..." he whimpered. "Where are yeh?"

* * *

"Two li'le dickie birds, sittin' on a wall. One named Peter, the other named Paul. Fly away Peter, fly away Paul. Coom back Peter, coom back Paul." Pepper glanced at the confused Noodle at her side. "Yeh can tell 'ow bored I am, eh Noodle-roo?"

* * *

Introducing Pepper! My friend once told me he did an impression for _two _years. The second he said it, I knew it was something Pepper would do. So her Scouse is fake and she'll slip back into her actual accent now and again, usually when she's upset or really happy. I envisioned a character who was ditzy in behavior, but not stupid. So I guess the best words for Pepper are eccentric and erratic.


	7. Friends

Friends

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

Noodle readjusted the straps of her backpack as she looked up and down the street. The children who had gotten off the bus at this stop were drifting apart in the directions of their houses. Some walked together, happily conversing with one another. She listened hard at their way of speaking and the ways they interacted with each other. They were all friends- friends of the same age. In her memories were the children, but she wasn't positive if they were comrades. All she knew was that Russel, Murdoc, and 2D were her friends, 2D especially. Pepper was her first acquaintance of the same age. More than anything, she didn't want this to end horribly.

"Sorreh," Pepper straitened back after tying her shoe. She twirled on the spot, as if confused about which way to go. "Right, off we go!" she charged off in one direction, leaving Noodle to race after her. After managing to catch up, Noodle became bewildered as Pepper suddenly took a sudden turn between two houses and showed no sign of slowing down. If neither of these houses was hers, then wasn't this trespassing? "C'mon! Doon' stand there!"

" 'Ey yew!"a man rushed out on his porch, heading straight for Noodle. Pepper grabbed Noodle's arm and yanked her toward the fence that blocked their path between the houses. She shoved her down through a hole in the wooden planks before following.

"Probableh shewd've told ye 'bout 'im. I'm usually so quick tha' 'e never notices." Noodle vaguely wondered if Pepper was trying to get her killed. They were in some sort of empty lot now, the fence going around the perimeter. There was a short, gnarled, old tree at one corner, which was the direction Pepper pointed her new friend in. The branches were strong despite the tree's obvious age. They both climbed up, the trunk marked with small holes worn with use. It became apparent that this was Pepper's normal route home.

"Walking being easier?" Noodle asked, pointing to the street that could be seen once she was high enough in the tree to see over the fence on the other side of the lot. "Why be all this doing?"

"Ih's more foon," she replied simply, swinging her leg over the top of the fence and dropping down.

"Koreha muimi desu," Noodle muttered before following. (Translation: 'This is pointless'.) She didn't dare voice this in English, though it appeared Pepper was not easily offended, especially after taking on Erin and somehow coming out on top with such an odd response. Was something wrong with Pepper parents? Something that excused her behavior? There had to be a logical reason for some of the things she did, other than "ih's more foon." Or maybe logic wasn't a word that Pepper really understood, or bothered to acknowledge.

"Joost a bit further. This is a lot more quicker 'an goin' 'round." Noodle decided she would have to take Pepper's word for it. How exactly did she know it was quicker? Did she time herself one time? Pepper jumped another fence, this one only waist high, and landed on a lawn of unkempt grass and bare patches. She put her hands on her hips, looking all around the yard. "Lazeh, why can't 'e ever be useful? C'moon Noodle-roo, ye can joomp 'is fence without worry. 'Is is my 'ouse."

This was Pepper's house? Erin had made it out to be a dilapidated shack; then again, she was a hateful little brat. The abode itself wasn't in pristine condition, more a little worn from years going by. The yard was probably the worst feature it had. The house was painted a pale blue color, almost the sea on a gray day. There was some sparse moss growing on the shingles and the gutters were slightly dented in some places. Personally, Noodle thought it was lovely. It had a homey feel to it: big enough for the family, but small enough to remain cozy.

Pepper marched to a sliding glass door that served as the back entrance and pulled a ruler from her backpack. She wedged the ruler into the space between the door and frame and slid it up, successfully unlocking the door. " 'Ow mooch ye wanna bet me brother's alreadeh 'ome an' wos too lazeh to let oos in?" She slid the glass pane over and stepped inside, shouting, "If I wos a burglar, ye'd be dead, ye nit!"

"I cewd take ya," came the faint reply from somewhere above.

"Then why ain'cha down 'ere defendin' ye 'ome?"

"Ta answer yer question, consider 'is: is ih worth ih?"

"Well, coom on in," Pepper encouraged her new friend.

Noodle stepped over the track the door was set in, glancing to her right and immediately doing a double-take. The kitchen was on her right and it was a gourmet chef's dream! Wooden cabinets decorated with painted leaves and vines, pots and pans hanging from a metal rack above a center island with speckled counter top, a refrigerator that was taller than 2D, a white stove with six burners, two sinks, and two large shut doors that she guessed went into the pantry. She stepped forward, still silent in awe, coming to notice she was bathed in a faint light despite the light fixtures being off. She look up to see a sky light overhead. Confused, she backtracked all the way outside, noticing for the first time that the kitchen, and the small breakfast nook on the left whilst walking through the door, were actually a one story, built-in addition.

"Ye okay?" Pepper leaned out of the house, her hand gripping the door frame. "Me mum's an experimental woman," she explained. "She likes to mess about in 'er medium. If yer dedicated, ye gotta 'ave the resources. 'Is kitchen is 'ers an' we get to use ih too, soomtimes."

Noodle came back inside, eager to see what else this place had to offer her curious appetite. She laid her backpack alongside Pepper's on the table in the nook (five chairs, she noticed). The addition was separated from the rest of the house by an open doorway without a door. This led into, what she guessed was, the living room. It was rather large, but lacked the grandeur of the kitchen. A long couch with several blankets that donned more colors than the rainbow that were haphazardly tossed about faced a television that was dwarfed by the ceiling-high bookshelves filled to the brim with literature that stood behind it. Two beanbag chairs sat on the smoky-gray carpet between the telly and the couch, near the hearth and caged fireplace. Two tables were tucked away in the upper left corner of the room, another half-finished rainbow blanket on one and some paint supplies strewn on the other.

The corner opposite of the tables yielded a hallway so narrow that Noodle doubted Russel could fit through it. She figured it was just a dead-end and was genuinely shocked to see an alcove and the front door. What was with this house? She backtracked, glancing at an amused Pepper who simply stood there as her friend explored. On the left of the doorway into the addition, as Noodle was facing it, was a larger hallway that led into another room and a stairway on the left. Noodle was about to peek up the stairs, but a loud pounding sound made her retreat until she knew the situation. A teenage boy, probably about fifteen, stomped down to the ground floor and stared lazily at Pepper and Noodle.

" 'Oo's tha'?" he asked, gesturing to Noodle.

"Me mate," Pepper answered. "Did yew leave school early or roon from our boos-stop? 'Cause I know yew got on our boos this mornin'."

"I jus' dun' go climbin' over fences an' trampin' through other people's property. Ih's called pavement an' ih's 'ere fer a reason. Yeh still doin' the 'ole accent thing?"

"Ye ask tha' everyday."

"Someday, yeh'll say 'no'." He gave Noodle a very curious look, his facial muscles tensing as thoughts coursed through his head. Without a word, he walked backwards up the stairs.

"Tha' wos Wind, me brother," Pepper explained. "Doon' worry 'bout 'im, 'e's 'armless." She walked past the stairs and into the room tucked away at the end of that hall. " 'Is used to be our kitchen, boot when we got the new addition, we turned 'is into the laundreh room." She tapped her foot against the linoleum. "Oop the stairs are the rooms. Mine, Wind's, me parents', an' Danny's. She's me sister. She's at work right now, won't be back till dinnertime."

Wind's heavy footsteps indicated he was descending again. This time, he carried a piece of paper in his hand, which he held up and looked back and forth between it and Noodle. He looked incredibly confused about something, his eyes scrutinizing Noodle enough that she squirmed uncomfortably. He finally crumpled the picture and walked back upstairs, muttering to himself.

* * *

"I deeply apologize fo' 'is," said Mr. Thomas. "We shewd've 'ad an escort or somethin' ta watch Miss Pot until yew arrived."

"No sense in kickin' ourselves," said David. "Since she wasn't at the stop near our 'ouse, all we can do is track 'er down-"

"But 'ere appears ta be somebody blockin' our attempts!" 2D spat hatefully.

"I'm sorry, but the information concernin' Miss Kendricks' address is classified," Mr. Thomas stated again. "I cannot release ih ta yew, even given the circumstances. But I can say 'is in confidence, Miss Pot is perfectly safe in Miss Kendricks' company. She may be a li'le eccentric, but she's perfectly capable o' keepin' outta trouble an' ...danger."

" 'Oo in their right mind wewd say Pepper cewd 'urt anyone?" asked Jake, the man with the long beads. "I've molded tha' girl from the lump o' clay she came as. She's one o' the most dedicated students I've ever 'ad the pleasure o' knowin'."

"Well we'd like ta get ta know 'er before she drags Noodle off ta 'oo knows where," said David.

"Hmm," Jake tapped his finger against his chin, head tilted up toward the ceiling as he thought. "Yeh know...'ere are a few things I need ta discuss with Pepper about some set issues. I'm good friends with 'er parents an' always welcome at 'eir 'ouse. If I jus' 'appened ta be 'eadin' over 'ere today an' yew two jus' 'appened ta follow...well, no laws are gettin' broken."

"Yew'd do tha'?"

"Sure, an' maybe 'ave a li'le talk with Pepper about 'is sorta situation. I mean, yew two obviously dun' know 'er an' she's dragged darlin' li'le Noodaru off on one o' 'er adventures. I'm surprised really, she 'as better judgement. Well then, gentlemen, shall we be off?"

2D darted out of the room, leaving David to bid farewell to Mr. Thomas after the headteacher confirmed that no confidentially was being broken by this arrangement. The blunette had climbed into the driver's seat, shouting for his father to hurry up as loudly as his voice range would allow- which, it turns out, was pretty damn high. David, finally beginning to feel irritation set in, dragged him out and shoved him in the back seat. Normally he wasn't so physically, but even a naturally calm person like him could only take so much. 2D usually got the message quickly, seeing as how David only had to shove him back once as he tried to climbed into the passenger seat.

"Follow close!" Jake called from his own car as they pulled out from the car park of the school. "Ih's a bit o' a maze."

* * *

Noodle picked out a record from the collection on the lowest shelves of the living room bookcases and pulled it from its sleeve. She placed it on the player sitting on the hearth, winding the lever and setting the needle down. Something Buddy Holly-ish started playing. She listened for a bit, cocking her head slightly to hear what Pepper was doing in the background and trying to decipher it without actually looking back. Her curiosity got the better of her and she finally turned. In her experience with the Kong lifestyle and her bandmates' odd qualities, Noodle kept finding herself amazed at her own confusion as Pepper continued to confound her.

"I miss when Wind wos 'yoong' enough to do this with me," said Pepper, standing back to admire her work. "Boot now, ih appears I 'ave yew."

That statement almost blew Noodle off her feet. Pepper had _her_? Pepper was the only person she had met the same age and had genuinely bonded with. But Pepper had other friends, probably knowing them for much longer than the few hours she had known Noodle. What made their bond so special? "What of being others?" she decided to ask.

"Others?"

"Friends, yours of?"

"So wot makes yew so special?" she translated correctly. Maybe that was it. Pepper could understand Noodle with the smallest bit of specification in her broken English. There had to be some reason this was going so well and if Noodle didn't know it, maybe Pepper did. "Ih's in the Grand Design, ye know? Everythin's tied to one anoother."

Maybe Noodle was starting to put too much faith in Pepper's ability to comprehend certain things. So apparently, there was a drawing somewhere that stated outright that they were destined to be friends? "Of what saying be meaning?"

"The Grand Design!" Pepper suddenly shouted in a voice that belonged in some show on stage. "Everythin' we do, even the li'lest things, plays a part in the fabric uv Life: 'is is the Grand Design. The simple decision ye make can influence so maneh things in different ways an' on different scales. When I saw ye 'bout to take Erin down a peg, ih wos written in the Grand Design tha' I stop ye. Can't get rid uv me now." She got down on her knees and crawled into the blanket and pillow fort she had formed between the couch and the chairs she had dragged in from the kitchen.

Noodle didn't join her, instead opting to stand outside and try to envision this so-called "Grand Design." Maybe it was hieroglyphics on a wall, or a painting by a famous artist. Maybe it wasn't even a drawing or something one could see. It might be music! The grandest song ever played in history that described every person's purpose in the universe. If only she could hear that song; she would memorize it and decipher her own meaning, then 2D wouldn't be so worried and sad anymore. He would know exactly what was going to happen and be happy because he could avoid the bad things. But then...that took the whole point out of living.

"Cheddar!" Pepper suddenly yelled, emerging from the fort with her hands clutched against her chest. In her grip was a large orange-and-white rat, little nose twitching wildly and tiny feet hooked on her shirt. "Found ye!" she sound excitedly, holding the rat level with her face and letting its whiskers tickle her face. " 'Is is Cheddar!" she proudly held the squeaking furball out to Noodle. "She's me pet, ye wanna 'old 'er?"

Noodle had never really had any experience with animals before. The demons running around Kong weren't really in that jurisdiction and she had never had any pets. How bad could a little rat be? She held out her hands, cupping the little creature carefully. She held it close to her chest like Pepper, wriggling as its little claws tickled her palms. She almost panicked as it started climbing her shirt, afraid it would escape her grip and fall.

" 'Ere," Pepper held out her hand, taking the rat, "she needs to go back in 'er cage. Mum an' Dad never noticed she wos gone, thankfulleh." She started upstairs, waving for Noodle to join her. The top of the stairs joined with a landing hall where several doors were standing. One was slightly ajar, letting Noodle peek through to see Wind leaning back in a rolling chair, feet propped up on his windowsill. His head perked up, as if he was aware he was being watched, and turned to see her standing there. He raised his hand, flexing his fingers in a simple gesture of hello.

Pepper's room was an oddity, but, then again, this was Pepper. Her bed was missing a leg, instead being supported by a stack of old children's building blocks. She had her own beanbag, facing a small television with a game system in front of it. Her dresser was a waterfall of loose clothing. She had a desk in the corner, several artistic mediums stacked onto it. Tucked away in another corner was a large, intricate maze of plastic tubs and tunnels. Pepper opened the top of one of tubs and placed Cheddar inside, watching as the rat shimmied through a tube. Noodle felt a welcome feeling of contentment. She took a few steps back, tripping on the edge of the bean bag and falling back.

"Wait-no!" Pepper tried to grab Noodle's flailing arm, but missed. The girl fell onto the bean bag, squealing as it exploded, covering her in small, white beans. " 'Ere's a busted seam," Pepper said quietly. "I meant to fix ih."

"Wot 'appened?" Wind pushed the bedroom door open, his eyes widening in shock as he looked down at poor Noodle. "When'd we get a sheep?"

"Joost get the vacuum," said Pepper, pulling Noodle to her feet and brushing some of the beans off.

"Yeah...I'll get the vacuum," he was silent for a while, just standing there.

"Wind? Wot are ye..." her eyes shot open. "Yew dick'ead!"

"Mum an' Dad dun' like ih when yeh curse," he stated simply, laughing as his younger sister shoved him out the door. Noodle pinched her nose to keep the foul stench out.

"Teenage boys," Pepper hissed. "Ye ask 'em fer 'elp an' they joost stand 'ere an' fart in yer room!" She heaved her stubborn window open, using her hands to fan the bad odor out, swiping one of the paint-filled cans sitting on the sill that she almost toppled over. "Ye got any siblin's?"

"Sibling?"

"Brothers an' sisters? People 'oo annoy ye an' yer still forced ta live with 'em?"

Brothers, she knew that word well. Her boys were her brothers. Murdoc annoyed her sometimes, so he was definitely a sibling. Russel was more her father, but 2D was her favorite of the three. He didn't annoy her, though sometimes she was exasperated by some of his mannerisms, but it was just part of his charm. He also didn't boss her around too much, he let her make her own decisions. Considering what had happened in the past week, she wondered: was 2D still her brother?

Pepper disappeared through her door and came back tugging a vacuum cleaner. "Joost stand with yer arms 'eld out, we'll get'cha clean in a jiffeh." The machine roared to life and began hungrily sucking up all the beans from Noodle's clothes. Pepper dragged the hose extension across Noodle's arms and legs, accidentally wrapping it around both of them as she walked around Noodle to ensure everything was clean. Noodle shrieked suddenly and tripped over the machine as the hose accidentally latched onto her hair. "Wait!" Pepper yanked it off and tossed it aside, leaping forward to grab Noodle before anything else went wrong.

Noodle managed to stay standing, but also managed to send one of the cans on the window sill flying out onto the front lawn. The two girls watched as a patch a grass was slowly turned red by the water and paint mixture. "Gomen nasai," she murmured, hunching her shoulders to hide her face (Translation: 'Sorry').

"Ih's okay," Pepper assured her. "Lemme get soom rags."

Wind had been in this family for his whole life. In that time, he had seen some interesting things, but upon actually straightening up in his chair and looking out his window, he saw his sister and her friend, who was so familiar in some way that it left him dumbfounded, spraying a giant red patch on their lawn with a hose. _I 'ave so many questions ta ask... might as well get started. _He opened his window and leaned out. " 'Ey! Yew two are, wot, twelve?"

"Yeah," Pepper said back up to him. "Wot's tha' got to do with ih?"

"Nothin', jus' tryin' ta figure out wot kinda blood tha' is. Mum's got sanitary napkins if yeh've sprung a leak."

"Yew are so disgoostin'!" Pepper screamed, her cheeks turning red, and not from the splashing paint. "Ah," she turned off the water feed, "joost toss the rags on." She and Noodle laid out some old, holey shirts already covered with stains on the patch. "Maybe we shewd've waited fer me parents. 'Is isn't turnin' out the way I thought ih wewd." She tossed the last rag down on the grass before turning to Noodle. "I guess I better figure out a way to get the rest uv me room clean."

* * *

"I dun' care 'oo 'is girl is, if Noodle 'as one scratch on 'er-"

"Calm down, Stu," David tapped his son under his chin. " 'Ey're kids, 'ey're supposed ta drive yeh crazy, whetheh wiff worry or nuttiness. Yew caused yer fair share o' 'ese gray locks," he patted his graying hair, chuckling as he did.

2D flopped down in the backseat, exhaling loudly. "I 'fink we're lost."

"Correction: we'd _be _lost if we didn't 'ave Jake. I'm sure we're almost 'ere. Jus' yew wait an' see, Noodle's perfectly fine an' 'appy playing wiff 'er new friend. 'Ello now?" The two gave each other a look as Jake pulled off on the side of the road. This wasn't even a neighborhood, it was a country road. There weren't any houses around. "Wot's 'e doin'?"

"Da' look, 'ere's some people down 'ere," said 2D. They got out of the car, realizing that Jake's car had been blocking their view of another vehicle already parked on the roadside. A man and woman were in the field next to the road, quickly approaching as they recognized Jake.

"Jakie!" the woman proclaimed happily. "Didn't expect ta see yew 'ere! 'Oo're yer friends?" she waved merrily to 2D and David, who stood there blankly, not sure of how to react.

"Tha' answer sorta ties in with wot we're currently doin'. David, Stuart," he gestured them to come closer, " 'is is Sage an' River Kendricks, Pepper's parents."

"Pleased ta meet yeh," said David shaking River's hand. The two were certainly odd, it seemed. Both were wearing aprons with the pockets stuffed full of jars with plant samples. They wore muddy gloves and boots and both had their hair pulled back into ponytails, River's being significantly shorter than Sage's but still quite noticeable. "We were jus' on our way ta yer 'ouse."

"Our 'ouse?" said River, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "Wot's wrong?"

"Ih appears Pepper snagged Stuart's daughter," Jake explained, jabbing his thumb at 2D. "Really shook the poor fella up."

"Oh dear," Sage sighed. "Fer once, I'd like ta meet one o' our children's new friends under more acceptable conditions."

" 'Is is normal?" asked 2D.

"In some way or other. C'mon, we'll show yeh the rest o' the way 'ere so yew can get yer daughter."

Despite all the anger and the worry that had festered it, 2D felt all his negative emotions leave him. These two seemed so nice, there was no way any child they had could be a demon incarnate. They seemed quite understanding about the situation as well. If this was a normal thing and all the other children involved had lived to tell the tale, maybe he had been overreacting too much. Noodle was fine, she could handle herself, and this Pepper girl would make a lovely friend for her. She would teach her English, they would ride bikes in the spring and go swimming when it got hot out. Maybe they could all go to the fairgrounds for a day of fun. Maybe they could rent a boat and spend a day on the water. Maybe-

"Holy shit!" 2D screamed, not even worrying about decency in a neighborhood no doubt inhabited by children. All the negative emotions came back in a torrential wave and his dents turned ghostly white at the sight of the bloodstained pile of clothes on the lawn. "Noodle, wot 'ave 'ey done ta yew?!" he cried.

"Stu," David cut in to his son's caterwauling," 'ose aren't Noodle's clothes."

"Wot 'appened 'ere?" Sage picked up one of the shirts.

"Tha's evidence!" 2D shouted, completely ignoring David pointing out obvious factors concerning the situation." 'Is is crime scene!"

"Wot's goin' on out 'ere?" Wind opened his window.

"Yer a witness!" 2D pointed up at him.

"Wot's with all the yellin'?!" Pepper flung her window open further, catching the remaining jars before they spilled out on the roof. Noodle squeezed herself under the girl's arm so she could see what the commotion was.

"Toochie!" she called out. They had come for her! She had been little worried about how she was going to get in contact with 2D in order to return to David and Rachel's house, but now it seemed they were well aware of her whereabouts.

"Noodle?" 2D gasped, switching his gaze between the girl and the bloody clothes. "Wot..."

"Ih's so nice ta make new friends," said Sage, and there was not a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

* * *

"Girls, why are yer 'ands covered in tape?" River started to unwind the lengths of bean-covered tape from their hands.

"Noodle-roo accidentalleh broke me chair, so I started usin' the vacuum to clean 'er oop, boot she got spooked 'cause ih started eatin' 'er 'air. So she backed oop an' knocked me paint off the sill, ih landed on the lawn, we went out an' cleaned ih best we cewd. After tha', we went back in to clean the rest uv the beans."

"Why didn't yeh use yer vacuum?" asked David. "Yew still 'ad ih, right?"

"Yeah, but 'en Noodle-roo got mad an' called ih an 'oni', so we covered our 'ands in tape an' picked the beans oop tha' way. Wot's an oni?"

2D sat silently in his chair at the table, head tilted down at his hands in his lap. He felt absolutely awful about his outburst. These people were so nice and he had accused them of murder. How they managed to stay so cheerful despite the accusation was beyond him. Maybe David was right about him jumping to conclusions too quickly. He was wracked up inside thinking that his stupid runaway imagination might have cost Noodle her first true friend.

As soon as her hands were freed from their sticky tormentors, Noodle rushed right to 2D and hung off the back of his chair. "Toochie! No sad being! Be happy!"

"I'm really, really, really, _really_, sorry 'bout me sayin' yeh murdered Noodle," he said for the third time in the last ten minutes.

"Once again, no worries," said Sage. "Yew were worried 'bout 'er an' I find tha' incredibly sweet, even more so considerin' she's not yer flesh an' blood."

"But tha' doesn't make 'er any less special," River added.

"Oh God," Pepper whispered. " 'Ey're about to get lovey-dovey. Mum!" she quickly interrupted her parents as their faces got steadily closer. " 'Ow 'bout we 'ave some treats to celebrate our new friends?"

"Wonderful idea!" Sage said cheerfully, her skirt swishing as she turned toward her spectacular kitchen. "Oh River dear, cewd yew get the samples? Larkspur! Ih'll look so beautiful in my newest arrangement."

"Are yew a florist?" asked David, finally beginning to relax.

"Amateur," said Wind, who leaning against the wall since 2D, David, Jake, River, and Pepper had each claimed a kitchen table chair, "but she's really good at ih. Yeh dun' need a fancy degree from some school ta be somethin' yeh like. She runs a gardenin' store an' sells 'er arrangements 'ere too. He continued staring at 2D with a look of intense interest, making the blunette very uncomfortable.

"Joost as good as aneh proffesional," said Pepper. "Wot makes ye good, actual experience or a piece uv paper tha' says ye got experience?"

2D stared at Pepper, trying his best to keep back the question that was dying to escape- too late. "Are yew adopted or did yeh jus' move back from..somewhere else?"

"Um... no," said River. "Pepper's lived 'ere 'er 'ole life."

"Yep, I wos born 'ere- seriousleh, I wos born on the bathroom floor," she said happily.

"Okay, I 'fink ih's about time ta get goin'," David said a little too earnestly after hearing Pepper's statement.

"But...'er accent-" 2D mumbled.

"Wait," Sage stepped in, "at least stay fer some tea an' cookies. Ih's the least we can do considerin' Pepper dragged yer daughter inta the unknown. Wot do we say in 'is situation, Pepper?"

"I'm sorreh," she said, grinning widely.

"At least some good came out o' ih," Jake spoke up. "Noodaru's found 'er niche an' gained some friends. An' dun' worry," he said to 2D, "I'll keep a close eye on 'er when she's at school."

" 'Fanks," and he was truly sincere about it.

"An' we gained some new friends!" Sage giggled.

_Apparently, 'ey like new friends. _"Yew sure?" said David. "I mean, considerin' the circumstances...meh son accused yeh o' murderin' 'is kid. Yew dun' know wot we're like."

"Ah, strangers are jus' friends yeh 'aven't met, but now tha's obsolete 'cause we 'ave met yew."

"Since we're all chummeh now, can Noodle-roo stay over?" asked Pepper. "Please-please-please?"

"Maybe some otheh time," 2D cut in, still a little wary of letting Noodle out of his sight for a second. "Not a school night."

"The weekend? Please!"

"Maybe-"

"I'll 'old ye to tha'!" she stated.

"Can I use yer baffroom?' 2D asked.

"Sure!" said Sage. "Wind, cewd yew show 'im?"

Wind's odd interest in him made him the last person 2D wanted to be alone with, but he figured voicing this concern would offend the Kendricks. Inhaling deeply, he followed Wind into the hall where the staircase branched off on the left side. The teen suddenly whirled around and faced 2D, making him squeak loudly. It was strange, the boy couldn't be older than fifteen or taller than five-foot-six, but his scrutinizing gaze almost terrified 2D. The blunette backed up against the wall as Wind bore down.

"Meh parents may be too polite ta ask about yer facial features, an' 'ey most likely dun' know 'oo yew are anyway, but I do. Yer 2D o' the Gorillaz an' tha' girl is Noodle." He backed away a few steps, arms crossed over his chest. "Noodaru indeed," he scoffed.

"Yew know 'oo we are?" 2D quivered.

Wind didn't answer at first, instead choosing to scurry up the steps and return with a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. He flattened it out best he could and revealed it to be a picture of their album cover. "Yer 'air might be turnin' a bit more blue, but 'ere's no mistakin' ih. I knew 'ere wos somethin' about tha' girl, she's jus' missin' 'er 'elmet an' wearin' tha' God-awful school uniform."

"Cewd yew...keep 'is ta yerself?"

"Where are Murdoc an' Russel? An' why are yew guys 'ere?"

"Gorillaz is broken up, I'm jus' tryin' ta give Noodle a normal life now. Yew can undehstand tha', right, an' respect ih?"

Wind raised an eyebrow. "People usually think I'm slow, but I can see yew are tryin'. I won't say anythin', but yew need ta realize tha' 'ere will be some people askin' questions."

" 'Ey can 'arass me all 'ey want, jus' s'long as 'ey leave Noodle alone."

"Yer a good man."

* * *

Concerning Pepper's speech, here's a guide!:

y- words ending in 'y', depending on how it's used, become 'eh'. ex: Happy- happeh, actually- actualleh, any- aneh, many- maneh.

u- a short 'u' sound becomes a long 'oo'. ex: jump- joomp, but-boot, up-oop.

of- of is presented as 'uv'.

Pepper says "to" as "to" now instead of "ta" like everyone else. "Ta" in Scouse means "thank you", so I wanted to include that with her accent.

So if you guys come across correctly-spelled words that look out of place in the sentence (like 'boot') it's most likely the phonetically spelled version of another word in Pepper's accent.

And that teenager in the offices who recognized 2D in "Aptitude and Attitude" was not Wind.


	8. The Man in the Porcelain Mask

The Man in the Porcelain Mask

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

" 'Ere joost ain't no good Halloween songs," Pepper complained, flipping through the book she held in her lap since the table was being prepared. "Ye got boatloads uv Christmas songs an' there's all the bunneh songs ye can sing on Easter, but no good Halloween songs." Noodle merely quirked an eyebrow at the subject her friend had decided to complain about at the current moment. "C'mon now, Noodle-roo! Why aren'cha agreein' with me?"

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me," Noodle sang.

"Well I guess tha' settles tha'," Pepper slammed the book shut and tossed it under her chair. "Nobody listens ta me anymore." She stabbed her pumpkin a little too forcefully with her knife. "I got great ideas an' questions, but joost 'cause I'm a kid, 'ey think I doon' know anythin'."

"Yew were te one suggestin' Noodle skip school today," Rachel said in an accusing tone as she laid out newspaper on the kitchen table for the pumpkin carving.

"Well, I said ih wewd be a waste uv time an' I wos right. Ih's a holiday, nobodeh pays attention in class when 'ey've got plans fer tonight, not even the teachers. Can I 'ave a Sharpie now?" She reached out for the markers that David had tightly in his grip. He held his closed fist up over his head to keep her from prying the Sharpies out of his fingers. "I joost wanna draw me design, I promise I won't start yet." She would have climbed him like a monkey without a problem had he not placed a hand firmly on her head to keep her down.

"We're almost done 'ere," he assured her.

In these past few weeks, Pepper had dutifully positioned herself at Noodle's side, claiming the title of 'best friend'. The other children in her little clique didn't seem to mind at all and even encouraged the relationship. To Noodle, it seemed as if Pepper was their extremely spontaneous leader and they understood her quite well, but none of them could get emotionally closer to her than what they were already at. Through her friend's devotion to the Grand Design, which had yet to reveal itself, Noodle was picked to be Pepper's closest follower and confidante. Now because of their deep bond, at least according to Pepper, the Kendricks were slowly becoming more oriented in the life and activities of the Pots.

Not that they minded really. Rachel made regular trips to the flower shopped Sage worked at while off-duty, having "conveniently" decided to start gardening again. Poor 2D foresaw the wretched homemade vegetable stew that had haunted him as a child in their future; his mother wasn't the best gardener around. 2D himself found a confidante in Wind. The teen was a fan of Gorillaz and had several questions about the mechanisms of creating the music that had appeared on their debut album. He respected 2D for his decision in raising Noodle and was always open to listen to any problems the blunette had that he felt David couldn't understand, mostly concerning the Gorillaz identity and tactics in working around it. David found himself in River, another laid-back father who just wanted to sit in a lawn chair, drink a beer, and shoot the breeze.

"So can yeh take samples?" Wind asked, pressing a few of the white keys on the keyboard mounted on a scissor-lift.

"If I 'ook up a microphone, but usually I 'ave a 'igh-tech tape recorder fer tha' job," 2D explained. "An' wot's wiff te interest in te inneh mech-an-isms o' meh keyboard? I 'fought yew were inta architect." It was true. Wind had become one of the "kids" working for David to set up the fairgrounds for the last big night before closing until the spring. Despite his demeanor, Wind proved himself very much capable of commanding a group and put his skills into building the sets for Halloween.

"Can't a boy 'ave multiple interests?" the teen replied, proceeding to crawl under the mounted keyboard and tug at the attaching wires. "Did yew build 'is thing yerself?"

"Me an' Da'."

"Wot about Da'?" David walked into 2D and Noodle's shared room, spooking Wind enough that he jumped and hit his head on the bottom of the keyboard. Pepper, Noodle, and Rachel stopped what they were doing immediately after hearing the sound.

"Is me good-fer-noothin' brother dead now?" Pepper asked, capping the Sharpie she had finally won off of David.

"Nah," David called back downstairs, "jus' biffed 'is 'ead. Yew two comin' downstairs any time soon?" he asked, directing the question to 2D and Wind.

"Pumpkin carvin'?" said Wind. "I 'aven't done tha' in years. Mum an' Dad usually 'ave a Halloween party every other year or so, but now we're jus' goin' ta yer fairgrounds."

"Well, sometimes ih's nice ta act like a kid again," said 2D, already walking out the bedroom door.

Pepper and Noodle had drawn their designs on paper and pinned them onto the pumpkins, using thumbtacks to poke a series of holes along the lines in the design. When the paper was taken off, they cut along the trail. Noodle seemed very excited about it. The Halloweens she had spent with her boys had more birthday-oriented since Russel didn't want her delving into horror while on her birthday. This would be the first Halloween that was more scary-oriented, but there was still a party plan apparently, not that anyone would tell her anymore information than that.

"Yew'll like 'ese," said Rachel, picking the seeds out of the pumpkin guts and placing them on a cooking tray. "Roasted pumpkin seeds."

"I prefer pumpkin bread," said Wind as he, 2D, and David came into the kitchen. "Mum always cooks up a nice, big batch. Expect a delivery fer Halloween, an' somethin' fer Christmas, an' Easter, an' every birthday, an' any celebration regardless o' simplicity. She's jus' tha' sorta person."

"An' tha' certainly is not a bad 'fing," David mumbled, absentmindedly licking his lips. A knock at the door made them all freeze and turn their heads in the general direction of the front door. "Dun' everyone get up at once," said David, backtracking into the main hallway to the door. He opened it to reveal a young woman, or older teenager, standing on the stoop with a basket in her arms.

"Are meh siblin's 'ere?" she asked.

"Yew must be Danny." He could see the family resemblance. She had a darker shade of Pepper's chestnut hair, which they both inherited from their father River. She was slender, like Sage, but not very tall, yet had a atmosphere of stoutness in her stance.

"Yes sir, may I come in?" David was almost blown away by her behavior. Wind and Pepper had come here on Noodle's bus and had simply barged in with her, tossing their bags in the front hall like they lived here. Maybe it was because they were so comfortable already with the Pots. Danny and the Pots had yet to be properly acquainted. The girl was usually at work, or in her room, or at a friend's house whenever the chance of meeting came up.

"Danny?" Wind called from the kitchen.

"Yeah Wind," she responded, stepping inside so David could shut the door behind her. She carried the basket into the kitchen, stopping short of the opening into the room and gasping. David caught up to her to realize she was gaping at 2D, who was staring back in confusion. "Oh dear, please fergive me. I jus'...wasn't expectin' yew."

2D went rigid and leaned over toward Wind while Danny handed the basket of pumpkin bread to Rachel. "Does she recognize me?" he asked in a frantic whisper.

"No," the teen said back, "Danny doesn't listen ta yer music. I think yeh jus' spooked 'er."

"Well isn't 'is lovely?" said Rachel, unwrapping the wrapping to reveal the treat inside the basket.

"Speak uv the Devil," spoke Pepper after standing in her chair to see the basket.

"Sit down, 'is isn't 'ome," Danny scolded, forcing her younger sister back into using the chair for its proper purpose. She looked around for a chair of her own, or a makeshift one at least. Rachel and David's kitchen wasn't used to this level of occupancy, made apparent by Wind having found a seat on box of mashed potato mix he had dragged from the pantry. David returned at that moment with a footstool from the den and a short stepladder, the former of which he handed to Danny and the latter he set up in the corner for his own seat.

"Where's te fourth chair?" Rachel asked, seeing only three of their regular chairs at the table, currently occupied by 2D, Noodle, and Pepper.

"Beats me," David replied. "We'll find ih lateh. So, Danny, are yew goin' ta join us at te fairgrounds tonight?"

"Yes."

"Boot yeh won't dress oop," spat Pepper.

"Tha's fer kids."

"Adults do ih too!"

"Well, not me."

"What be...are- are you going as?" Noodle cut in, knowing the signs of a building argument quite well.

"I got me costume," Pepper sprang from her chair and raced for the front door, where her bag had been unceremoniously tossed upon her arrival. She dragged it back and happily took out the prop for her costume, eliciting a scream from Danny.

"Pepper! Did yew take tha' ta school?!" the older girl shrieked.

"Yep," Pepper brandished a large machete with a proud smile on her face opposite everyone else's horrified expressions- except Wind, who just didn't care. "I kept ih in me bag all day. No one saw ih an', thus, I did not get in trooble."

"Tha's not the point!" Danny continued in her tirade. "Yeh dun' take a knife ta school! Yew cewd've been expelled! Yew cewd've gotten arrested!"

"Well excuse me, Miss Goodeh-Two-Shoes, we're not all perfect like yew." Pepper leaned the machete against the wall and dug a blank, white mask out of her bag, along with a dark green jacket they suspected belonged to Wind.

"Where'd she get tha'?" 2D whispered to Wind, extremely uncomfortable in the fact that Noodle's friend had managed to find and conceal a large knife in her bag the entire day.

"Ih's our parents'," Danny replied instead, having heard the question. " 'Ey use ih in collectin' samples or trimmin' the backyard plants." She picked up the blade, flipping it over and over in her hand. "Did yeh 'ave ta paint ih?" she pointed out red paint on the blade.

"Ih sets the mood."

" 'Ow did tha' not stab a 'ole in yer backpack?" David asked.

" 'Ello? Bubble-wrap?" she responded, waving a strip of of bubble-wrap she had extracted from her bulging backpack.

* * *

Noodle stood in front of the mirror, pulling faces at the reflection she could no longer recognize. Dark make-up circling her eyes gave them a sunken appearance, a mixture of green and brown on her face made her skin look sickly and rotted, her torn clothing completing the appearance of the living dead. She had wanted Pepper to paint her helmet to make it look as if brain chunks were showing through, but both Rachel and 2D had disagreed with the idea. The helmet was still in a box on a shelf in the closet, forever out of her reach.

At first, it had only been Rachel who had banned the helmet from her head on the grounds that it wasn't "lady like" for her to wear it. Now 2D had joined his mother in keeping the headpiece away from her; the only difference was that he wouldn't give a reason. There was one, Noodle was sure of it, but until she knew what it was, she could only try to figure one out on her own. 2D did have his reasons. More than anything, he wanted Noodle to have a normal life and the helmet could possibly get in the way of that for one reason: people would recognize her. If Noodle suspected him of simply being a surly curmudgeon, then let her think it.

The voices downstairs told Noodle that everyone was gathering for the trip to the fairgrounds. David promised her a birthday celebration at the location, but she began to feel excitement and depression both set in. The few birthdays she remembered were with all of her boys, but now it was just 2D. Where were Russel and Murdoc? Why hadn't they joined her and 2D here in Eastbourne? As each day passed, she wondered more and more about their own locations. Maybe something had gone wrong and they were lost or injured somewhere? If that was true, then why wasn't 2D as frantic as her?

She scurried from the bathroom into her and 2D's bedroom, stepping over the mattress on the floor that the blunette had moved himself to in order to give her the fold-out, which was perpetually in the "out" position. She reached under the mattress, pulling out a handful of crumpled paper. Her slowly-improving English decorated each page. These were her "letters" to Russel and Murdoc, or at least the attempts while she figured out what to say. Even if she did successfully write the letters, would 2D know where to send them, or even send them at all? She frowned and carefully folded the papers and placed them back in their hiding place.

"Noodle?" 2D poked his head into their bedroom. "Yeh ready love? We're all waitin' fer yeh."

"Yes," she replied. Tonight was going to be fun, a true Halloween and her birthday; the letters could wait for another time.

" 'Ow's ih feel ta be twelve?" 2D asked as he led her downstairs.

What could she say? She didn't feel any different from yesterday. That was something that always puzzled her. Everyone always made such big deals out of birthdays, but she didn't feel any difference in going from eleven to twelve. But maybe it was just her emotional state at the moment. Should she tell 2D about the letters? Maybe he could help her.

"Let's go, slowpokes!" David called from downstairs.

It was her birthday for Christ sakes! Noodle's face split into a huge grin as she dashed through 2D's legs, making the blunette jump and shriek. He followed behind her closely, his long legs covering more ground than hers, making sure not to step on her as they made their way down the staircase. They were going to spend the night at the fairgrounds instead of trick-or-treating, a fact which had slightly upset Pepper who had wanted to uphold the childish tradition for as long as she could, but she calmed when hearing about getting the privilege to go "behind the scenes" at the grounds. Noodle had little experience in trick-or-treating, but was more interested in having a full-blown Halloween more than anything.

"Gear!" Pepper lifted her blank mask with her free hand, the other clutching her machete. "Yew can be me victim risen froom the dead! Anybodeh got a red marker? I need to draw soom slashes on 'er bodeh."

Rachel's face was frozen in slight horror, but David cut in to break up the awkward (and slightly disturbing) moment, "Okay, let's go, we've waited long enough!" He shoved everyone out the door before Pepper could complain about Noodle's costume not being complete.

"Can I ride with yew folk?" the girl asked.

"No," Danny steered her sister directly toward her car parked off to the side of the driveway. "Yew've caused me enough grief today, jus' get in. An' this," she grabbed the machete, "is goin' in the trunk until we get there."

"Wot cewd I possibleh do with machete in the car?" Pepper argued. She paused, not even squirming under Danny's "look". "I know, I know, I heard ih too. I'll joost get in the stupid car." She clambered into the backseat, Wind claiming the passenger seat while muttering something suspiciously like "freezin' meh arse off."

There was a bit of confusion in the seating arrangement in one of the Pot's two cars. 2D, obviously needing more leg room than anyone else, was torn between claiming the passenger seat and pushing his mother to the back with Noodle, or remaining respectful of her status. He stood beside the car, looking frantically back and forth between the passenger and back seat doors. Noodle, having no trouble in deciding in her seating arrangement, jumped skillfully into the back seat, giving Pepper a small wave when the girl tapped her window in Danny's car.

"Stu, yeh gonna get in?" asked David.

"But...Mum...front seat..."

"Toochie!" Noodle called for him, settling the mental dispute in her own way. The blunette heeded her call and climbed into the beak seat. He made a few muffled sounds due to his knees being nearly shoved in his mouth, prompting Rachel to relieve him and pushed her seat up.

"Honestly Stu, 'ow do yew even find trousehs in yer size?"

"I recall a period o' great confusion an' discomfort as our dear boy outgrew 'is clothes te moment 'e got 'em," said David absentmindedly, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "Okay, I wos gonna stay quiet, but ih's jus' too much. Any o' yew confused on 'ow Danny got off so easy wiff 'er name?"

"Danny _is_ a boy's name," 2D pointed out. "Tha' makes ih a li'le unusual."

"Ih cewd be short fer Danielle," said Rachel.

"But tha' jus' reinforces meh question," said David. " 'Ere's River, Sage, Wind, Pepper, an' _Danny._ 'Ow does tha' work?"

"Ih's none o' our business, David."

"Can't I be curious?"

"Wot'chu 'fink Noodle?" 2D's question drew Noodle away from the window. "Did Pepper tell yeh anyfing 'bout Danny's real name?"

"Danny-san?" Noodle honestly didn't know much about the eldest Kendricks child. Danny was always busy somewhere else when Noodle was more intimately involved in the Kendricks family. The teen was more of an anomaly than anything else; in fact, Noodle was incredibly confused about why Danny wasn't more involved in her family's life. It almost seemed as if she took any chance to get out of the house. 2D had been very busy lately, but he always made time for Noodle if she needed his attention. If it was true that Danny was purposely staying away from her home, Pepper would definitely know more about it. Noodle made a mental note to ask her.

* * *

"Now 'ese'll get'cha on any ride." Pepper was jittery as David wrapped the neon orange bracelet around her wrist. "An' I'd prefeh yew'd leave 'is 'ere." He swiped her machete while she was distracted by her ride-pass bracelet. "Yew'll cause a panic."

"Tha's not fair! D'ye 'ave aneh idea 'ow 'ard ih wos to get tha'?!"

"I 'fought ih wos yer parents'," said 2D.

"I still needed to steal ih! Ih completes the outfit quite nice, doon'cha think?"

Noodle stood on her tiptoes in order to peer out the window of the maintenance shack they had gathered in- or, at least, most of them. Rachel had disappeared to get Noodle's cake from where they hid it in an icebox in storage. Wind had apparently seen a fault in one of his sets and walked off to fix it, grumbling to himself. Whatever the fault was, only he could see. The whole set up was wonderful. The night air was chilled to perfection for the event, cold enough to rouse some goosebumps, but not cold enough to turn anyone away.

_Everyone_ was in costume, going against Danny's statement that the celebration was only for children. The adults were having just as much fun as the younger occupants, scaring each other just for a laugh and for the spirit of Halloween. Hauntingly pale yellow lights were strung between booths, fake spider webs taking their place in spaces where the small buildings were closer together and along railings, causing people to shriek when they accidentally touched the webs. One of David's "kids" had found a fog machine in their attic and dragged it out to set the mood. Of course, this was all brought together by Wind's designs, which incited gasps of horror and wonder as skeleton hands shot out to grab patrons and hot air from a demon's nostrils rippled hair.

"Well, if yer goonna take me knife, at least gimme soomthing to compensate an' still be convincin'."

"I can't give a kid a knife!" David argued. "Wot kinda fatheh wewd tha' make me? Even if yew aren't meh kid."

"Pepper, jus' go as yew are," said Danny.

"No one will know wot I am!" the younger girl said back. On a sudden whim, 2D picked up a hardhat and shoved it under Pepper's jacket, giving her the appearance of a hunch. He then scooped up some excess dirt from a bucket and decorated her face with it. "Well, I guess tha's fine too."

"Okay 'en," the blunette crossed his arms as he straitened himself back into the standing position. "Noodle, stick wiff Pepper, but enjoy yerself. Ih's yer birfday, do wot'cha want."

"As long as ih dun' cause collateral damage," David added, ushering them out the door. With only him, 2D, and Danny left in the shack, he gave the teen a sideways glance, obviously aching to ask the question he had asked his family in the car. 2D noticed this and shook his head frantically.

"Wot'cha wanna do?" Pepper asked Noodle, looking around at the crowds.

Everything was in Noodle's control. This was her birthday and everyone had surrendered the decision-making to her. She was to enjoy herself as long as it didn't cause any damage (she felt David hadn't really needed to add that). So with many options open for her to enjoy the evening, her birthday, and Halloween, where could she possibly start? The traditions of the holiday might need a little explaining due to her being a novice. Pepper could do that, but as Noodle turned to questions her friend, something caught her eye and made her freeze.

It _couldn't _be!

"Noodle-roo?" Pepper couldn't will her legs to move for some reason as she watched her friend dash off into the crowd like her life depended on it. "Noodle-roo wait!" She finally got moving, ducking between people's legs in a desperate attempt to catch up to her friend before 2D's first and only spoken rule was broken. Her desperation was so great, she crashed into Noodle when the other girl actually stopped. "Wot's the matter with yew? Why'd ye roon?"

"I saw...someone."

"Soomone ye know? 'Oo wos ih tha' made ye roon off so fast?"

"Murdoc-san!"

" 'Oo?"

"Murdoc-san! I saw!" Noodle began running back and forth, jumping as high as she could in a futile attempt to see over the crowds. The image was still fresh in her mind and she fought to retain it as clearly as she could. A man dressed in complete black, a wide-brim hat on his head, and a white, porcelain mask covering his face. Despite the lack of features, there was no mistaking that swaggering walk, that hunched figure, and even that smell. She knew all of those things too well. There was no doubt in her mind- that man was Murdoc.

"So ye know 'is guy froom back in Essex?" asked Pepper.

"Have being...knowing from long time." Maybe 2D had stumbled upon one of her letters and mailed it! There had to be reason Murdoc was here of all places on this day of all days. If this was his gift, then it was hundreds of times better than any gift that could be bought a store. Maybe Russel was here too and the plan was to surprise her either here for her cake-cutting, or back at David and Rachel's house for her present-opening. Of course, she would most likely cling to the two men instead of unwrap the other gifts. "I have to being find!" she told Pepper.

Pepper straitened up, feeling the hard hat balanced on her spine shift downward. "Ye sure 'is is the guy? Not joost soomone 'oo looks like 'im?"

"No mistaking!" Noodle insisted. "Not being possible!"

"Okay...if yer sure, I'll 'elp ye track 'im down." She looked back in the general direction she was supposing the shack was. "Maybe we shewd ask yer dad first."

If this was truly 2D's present to her for her birthday, the last thing Noodle wanted was for him to find out that she was aware of it. Just as any remotely curious child would seek out their Christmas presents and sometimes succeed in locating them, they still acted surprised and happy on Christmas day even though they already knew the contents of their specific gifts. It made the gift-er feel happy and appreciated. Noodle didn't want 2D to know she had seen his surprise.

"No," she said. "Not yet."

"Okay, so where d'ye think 'e went?"

That was the question. There were so many people here to enjoy the fairgrounds' final trump before it was closed until spring. The crowds were thick and even with optimum weaving and ducking skills, it was too difficult to do so and look at each person in detail. He was dressed in all black and wearing a white mask, but there might be several others in the same costume. Then there was his figure and stride that she could easily nit-pick from a hundred individuals, but that could only be done if the costume was found first. And only David knew how large these fairgrounds actually were and how many places there were to duck into.

This definitely wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

"I 'fought we 'ad a schedule," Rachel complained.

"Mum, yeh can't schedule a kid's entire life, 'ey'll find a way ta rip ih ta shreds...figuratively." 2D picked up a box of apples from the ice box in the storage area while Rachel flocked around him. "She's jus' out enjoyin' 'erself, she knows not ta leave te grounds, an' when she's good an' ready, she'll find us." _I 'ope, _he added to himself. "Now I need ta go refill ta apple-bobbin' barrels."

"Stu, are yew aware 'ow long ih's been since yeh saw 'er off?"

"No." 2D felt an uneasy feeling fester in his stomach.

"Ih's been oveh an hour."

The feeling subsided a bit- just a bit. "Tha's fine...fer now. Call me when ih's two, 'en I'll start worryin'."

* * *

Pepper groaned into the hard hat she had extracted from off her back, listening as her voice echoed back at her. "Ih's been an hour an' we 'aven't gone on aneh rides or seen 'is guy. I'll ask joost one more time Noodle-roo: are yew positive tha' yew saw 'im, an' if ye did, are yew _positive _tha' ih's 'im?"

"Yes-yes-yes!" Noodle insisted. She couldn't be wrong! It was him and she would bet her life on it.

Pepper sighed through her nose. "As long as yer sure, I won't doubt'cha no more. Maybe we shewd get 'igher oop. A vantage point, tha' way we won't be wearin' ourselves out dashin' about." She stuck the toe of her shoe into the dirt. " 'Course, tha's joost remindin' ourselves we're short. Why not there?" she pointed to one of the operating booths for a ride. "I'll give ye boost oop."

Danny's gasp resembled a shriek enough that her friends thought she had just gotten punched. Her face was pale and twisted in horror. Before they could say anything, the young woman took off toward one of the fair rides. The moment they tried to follow, they realized exactly what she was so horrified about. Well aware of Danny's family, especially considering that, in their youth, they called her parents "Aunty Sage and Uncle River" and the two remained close family friends of their parents, the group of teens knew her family well and knew something was up when Pepper and another girl were sitting atop the operating booth.

"Wot are yew two doin'?" said Danny. "Get down!"

"Boot we're lookin' fer soomone," said Pepper.

"I dun' care, get down now!" the older girl demanded.

"Please!" Noodle spoke up. "Have to find!"

Danny reeled a bit. She and Noodle didn't interact much and now the girl was begging for them to stay on top of the booth because they had to find someone. "Alright, I'll bite. 'Oo is this person?"

"Soomone Noodle-roo knows froom Essex."

"Is she absolutely positive on the identity?"

"I asked 'er 'bout ten times. She didn't see 'is face, boot she stills claims ih's 'im."

Danny pinched the skin between her eyes. "Tha's ih, get down, both o' yeh."

"C'mon Danny," said one of her friends, a young man with light brown hair that stuck forward in a quiff. "We can 'elp 'em."

" 'Ere's gotta be 'undreds o' people 'ere!" Danny argued. "An' she didn't even see 'is face!"

"Are ye doubtin' me mate?" Pepper growled. "I asked 'er if she wos sure uv 'erself an' she is! I choose to troost 'er claim."

"C'mon!" said Danny's friend. "Let's give 'em a 'and. I 'aven't seen Pepper in ages, yeh dun' bring 'er along with yeh anymore."

"Tha's 'cause she's old enough ta stay on 'er own."

"Well, I 'aven't gotten ta bond with 'er in forever." He walked up to the booth, arms up to help the girls down. Pepper, obviously comfortable with him, placed her foot on his shoulder to begin climbing down.

"Coom on Noodle-roo, 'is is Apollo, 'e used to play with me all the time when I wos li'le. 'E'll 'elp oos no problem." She was lifted down by Apollo, who straitened back up to coax Noodle. If Pepper trusted him, Noodle decided he was worth trusting. Besides, he was bigger than the both of them and could look for Murdoc more easily.

"Maybe I shewd go get Noodle's father," said Danny, using the nickname of the girl that her parents had become comfortable using as well. Pepper chose to stick with the personal title she had bestowed upon her friend. "I wewdn't want my child followin' someone if 'ey're not a 'undred percent positive ih's someone 'ey know."

"Boot I alreadeh told yew-" Pepper began, only to trail off as Danny vanished in the crowds, some of her friends following, some splitting off to enjoy the night, and only two remaining behind. "Nobodeh listens me..."

"I'll listen ta yeh, Pep," said Apollo. "Now yew jus' tell Big-Brother-Pollo wot 'is guy looks like."

"All black, white mask," said Noodle, earning her a quizzical look from Apollo and the other boy who had remained behind.

"Well tha' certainly clears things up," said the other boy.

"Shut ih, Ronny," Apollo shot at him.

"Make me, Pollo," he said back.

"If tha's wot the guy looks like 'en keep an eye out fer 'im."

It seemed this arrangement was even better than Noodle could have hoped for. The two boys were familiar with Danny's family and comfortable with younger children. Apollo had Pepper sitting on his shoulders while Ronny picked up Noodle in order to give her a vantage point to find Murdoc. Despite all the doubt, Noodle had none. She was absolutely sure it was him; it had to be. She knew him too well to mistake his attributes for someone else's. Now that he was here, maybe he would visit often. Then again...he did pick on 2D a lot. But the band was over now, so all the stress was gone as well. Maybe she could get Murdoc on a regular hygienic schedule and make him give up smoking and excess drinking. It was a long-shot, but she was persistent.

Ronny seemed nice. The search was a bit boring and he did several things to liven it up. Often, he would tickle Noodle's leg, or spin around in a circle, or try to flip her over his shoulder. She fought each time, glad that someone wasn't scared to play a little rough. 2D used to wrestle with her back at Kong, but now it seemed he was terrified he would hurt her. She didn't get it; if she was older now, didn't that mean she would be getting bigger and tougher? He shouldn't be afraid of hurting her, she was hardy.

"I'm jus' not seein' 'is guy," Apollo swung Pepper off his shoulders. "Maybe 'e left."

If Murdoc was her surprise, Noodle was positive he wouldn't leave. He _had _to be here! "Keep looking."

"Noodle-roo," Pepper spoke up, "maybe we shewd face facts. 'E cewd've left. Wos 'e even aware tha' yew an' yer dad came 'ere?"

Did Murdoc know she and 2D were here to begin with? He had left long before they had and, as far as she knew, 2D hadn't contacted him or Russel; unless her theory about him finding her letters was true. Wait... Ronny yelped as Noodle suddenly leaped from his shoulders and took off, leaving him, Apollo, and Pepper to try in vain to catch up to her. Noodle twisted among the people in the crowd, inadvertently stepping on feet and shoving bodies into one another. She didn't mean to be impolite, but she would be damned if she let him get away.

"Murdoc-san!" Finally free from the crowd and with her target right in front of her, she jumped and clung to his leg. "Found you! So happy!"

"I'm sorry- wot?" Noodle's smile faded instantly. That voice, it was too clear to be Murdoc's, whose voice was scratched and damaged from years smoking and drinking. Her arms loosened and she sat on the dirt, looking up at the porcelain mask that looked down upon her.

She was wrong.

"Noodle!" A pair of hands hooked themselves under her arms, lifting her to stand on her feet. 2D loomed over her, concern written all over his face. "Danny said yeh'd gone chasin' some guy yeh recognized. Why ain'cha 'avin' fun on te rides an' playin' games?"

"Am I missin' somethin' 'ere?" asked the man in the mask.

2D acknowledged the source of Noodle's curiosity for the first time. "I'm so sorry sir, but meh daughter 'fought yeh looked like someone she used ta know. I apologize if she spooked yeh."

"No worries, but she sure seemed eager when she thought I wos 'oo she wos lookin' fer."

"I bet," 2D murmured softly in an understanding tone, patting Noodle on the head. "C'mon Noodle, let's go enjoy yer birfday. We got yer cake set up, we'll enjoy te rest o' te night, 'en we got presents waitin' fer yew at 'ome." He led her off by the hand and though she willingly followed him back to her friends and adoptive family, she couldn't help but take one last look back at the man she was so sure was Murdoc. He tipped his hat to her and she turned to face forward.

_Christ kid, yeh almost gave me a 'eart attack; I thought yew were one o' 'ose fuckin' zombies from Kong. I need a drink, 'is mask is uncomfortable. _He would always find something to complain about, be it the mask, having to disguise his voice, or the "faceache" himself, but Murdoc finally let some feeling of gratitude and slight respect for the dent-headed dullard slip through in realizing his decision to care for the child that had shown up on their doorstep. "Good luck, faceache." And with that, he readjusted his mask and walked off to find a pub.


	9. Pepper's Plea

Pepper's Plea

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

" 'Ow did yeh get 'is numbeh?!" 2D choked on his food, coughing harshly. David, finding his newspaper far more interesting but still half-paying attention, reached over and whacked his son firmly on the back. "Peppeh?" 2D said in the phone after recovering. " 'Ow did yeh get te 'ouse phone numbeh?"

"Let me talk!" Noodle begged, rushing around the table to try and grab the phone. 2D managed to keep her firmly off his body as he continued this unexpected conversation.

"Mister David gave ih to me," Pepper explained. "Now look, yeh promised ages ago to let Noodle-roo sleep over. Ih's Friday, school's out, _c'moon_ Mister Pot!"

"Well... Peppeh...Noodle's got an appointment wiff Doctor Wash in about an hour."

"By tha' logic, ih'll joost be about six when she's done. Coom ooooooon! Please-please-please-please-please-"

"Yew know darn well she'll carry on," said David after 2D held the phone away from his ear, Pepper's pleas echoing loud and clear from it. "An' if yeh 'ang up, she'll call again."

"We wewdn't be goin' 'frough 'is if yeh 'adn't given 'er yer phone numbeh."

"Stu, yeh've been puttin' 'is off fer too long. Noodle 'as a friend 'er own age an' tha' friend 'as been beggin' yeh ta let Noodle stay fer a night. I know yer nervous 'bout lettin' 'er outta yer sight, but I 'fink ih's time ta give ih a go. Besides, Sage, River, an' Danny'll be 'ere ta make sure nothin' goes wrong."

"I like 'ow yew added Danny ta tha' list," said Rachel, picking up Noodle's empty snack plate and cup.

" 'Ey, she deserves some recognition fer 'er behavior. C'mon Stu, let Noodle 'ave some fun wiff 'er friend."

2D sighed, knowing what his father said was true. He was just so damn protective, but even he knew, deep down inside, that the Kendricks would care for Noodle like she was their own. He brought the phone back to his ear, immediately having to silence Pepper, who had been carrying on this entire time. "Alright Peppeh, Noodle can come oveh an' stay tonight-" he yelped and dropped the phone as the girl's shriek of joy crackled through the receiver.

Noodle immediately took her chance and swiped the phone. "Pepper-chan? What be- are you askin' for?"

"Yer dad said yeh cewd spend the night an' I got a verbal contract now. Go see yer shrink, 'en pack a bag with anythin' yeh can think uv tha' wewd be awesome fer tonight. We're gonna 'ave so mooch foon!"

" 'Ang on yew," 2D took the phone back. "Are yer parents aware o' 'is or will 'is be an unannounced drop-in? I know Riveh an' Sage like friends an' company, but I dun' wanna take advantage o' 'eir generous nature."

"Oh, 'ey've been prepared fer weeks."

"So yew knew 'is wewd 'appen one way or anotheh."

"Aww, yeh 'ave been payin' attention! See yeh in a couple o' hours!" The dial tone at the other end of the line signaled her departure from the conversation. 2D shook his head as he placed the house phone back on its wall mount. To be fair, he _had _been paying attention. Pepper knew how to get things done and he did feel impressed by her persistence and also relieved it was being channeled through constructive activities. There was no telling what she could be capable of if left to run wild with that mind of hers.

"Toochie?" Noodle spoke, tugging at his arm to get his attention. "What Pepper-chan say?"

"Not much, but ih's settled. We'll go see Doctor Wash in a bit, 'en I'll drop yeh off at Peppeh's 'ouse fer te night."

"You comin' to?" she asked.

"No, I'm gonna come back 'ere. But I'll get'cha in te mornin'."

* * *

This was only Noodle third appointment with Dr. Wash, each taking place every two weeks, but she was already adjusted to the appointment and what took place. She and 2D walked in, checked in with Lizzie at the front desk, Dr. Wash would come out and lead Noodle into the back, and 2D would sit in the lobby until the appointment time was up. As for what took place in the back room, it seemed very uniform to her compared to her first visit. She was slightly more comfortable with the doctor, but still wary as he repeatedly tried to probe her mind.

" 'Ello Noodle, 'ow 'ave yeh been?"

"Very well," she replied, settling in for the appointment on the couch.

"Yer English is improvin' quite well. An' yeh 'ad yer birthday, didn't yew?"

"Yes, spent at the fairgrounds. Pepper-chan helped in fun-havin'."

Dr. Wash quirked an eyebrow at her accent. The foreign-sounding Japanese dialect was still prominent, but he could hear the influence of having someone of a different dialect teaching her English. It was an interesting concept how accents were picked up. Humans were social creatures; upon meeting someone who sounds different, a person tries to naturally, and unknowingly in most cases, imitate them to establish a bond. He figured, in a few years' time, Noodle would be speaking like she had lived here her whole life and no one would be able to tell the difference.

"So Pepper wos with yew? Let's talk about 'er, shall we?" He remembered the second appointment, the one that took place after Noodle had attended the Causeway School. 2D had expressed concern for the young girl that had claimed Noodle as her own and asked him to question Noodle a bit about Pepper. The girl had seemed more than happy to talk about her new friend. "Do yew two get along well?"

"Very well," she responded. "Goin' to home after, stayin' a night."

"A sleepover? Is 'is yer first?"

"Yes." There was a word she wasn't familiar. She liked learning these new words, especially the ones Pepper taught her because they were so interesting. 2D and Rachel were trying to teach her "the basics", which she found quite tedious. David seemed more inclined to teach her the wrong meanings of certain words so she thought she was speaking properly, when in reality, she was spouting nonsense. He had laughed himself silly after meeting for a semi-formal lunch with some friends and their sixteen year old, who struggled and spluttered hearing Noodle speaking sentences that made no sense while Rachel ducked her head in embarrassment and 2D bit his lip, trying not to laugh along. "What is meanin' o' sleepover?"

"A sleepover is somethin' kids do. Sometimes ih's a big party where a 'ole bunch o' people show up an' 'ey do fun things, but 'ere's also when ih's jus' two people. Basically, ih's stayin' over at someone else's 'ouse fer a night or even longer."

"What doin' at these sleepin' overs?"

"Well, ih's been a while... But I think, nowadays, kids play video games, watch movies, eat treats, or wotever appeals ta 'em. So, d'yeh think yeh'll be able ta spend a night away from yer dad?"

A night away from 2D? The blunette barely left her out of his dented sight, except for school, and even then, he was always waiting for her at the drop-off point near the house for her to get off the bus. She was more worried if he would be able to handle her being away from him for one night. She wondered what he would do to pass the time. There was his keyboard, but she hadn't seen him use it to often as of late; at least, not to the degree that she still used her guitar. Her guitar! 2D had her pack her bag so that he could drop her off directly at Pepper's house. She forgot her guitar!

"Noodle? Yeh looked distressed. Do yeh think yeh can 'andle 'is sleepover?"

"Yes-yes, in handlin' sleepin' over! I forget my guitar!"

Dr. Wash chuckled at her "slight" problem. "Oh, is tha' ih? Well I'm sure yer daddy will take yeh ta get ih before yeh go ta Pepper's 'ouse." He readjusted himself in his chair. He was about to tread on into a very touchy environment. 2D was his source of information for Noodle's home-life behavior. She hadn't been having too much trouble with the nightmares lately now that she had her own bed again and 2D was sleeping on the floor-mattress. Dr. Wash could already see a potential problem arising. If Noodle lost control of her nightmares at her friend's house, no one there might know what was happening and know how to handle her. " 'Ow are the nightmares?"

Noodle tensed up- bad sign. She fiddled with her hands, not making eye contact with Dr. Wash. "They are...goin' well."

"C'mon now Noodle, tell me the truth." It was time to get a little firmer with her. These nightmares had a source somewhere and maybe the source was rooted within her amnesia. If they found the source, maybe she would remember more about her past.

"Well..." Honestly, the nightmares weren't troubling her too much lately. The last major event was their emerging into her waking world at school, but she had figured that was a one-time occurrence due to her stress in such a new environment. There had been some fleeting passes in her dreams at night, but they were more similar to something in her peripheral vision. "Not much problems. Sometimes...seein' maybe, but not sure."

"Yer not sure if yer actually seein' yer nightmares? Are 'ey personifications?"

"What?"

"Wot do yew see?"

"Dark thingies... tall people-things...the white-coats," she said the last part in a throaty whisper, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared straight forward, not focusing on anything in particular. There was one last thing she didn't feel like mentioning: sometimes, she saw the children. The children in their military uniforms, running around in the edges of her sights, ducking out of sight before she could really see them. The white-coats and the dark things were scary enough, but they confronted her directly. The children...they just scurried about. She wasn't sure if they were a threat or peaceful.

"Anythin' else? Anythin' at all?"

Should she mention the children? They puzzled her more than anything. "Maybe...I see...I see children."

"Yer li'le friends?" Every face that people saw in their dreams were the faces of actual people they had seen in their life, even if it was only for a split second, even if they didn't remember. Dreams were the brain assembling odd bits and ends in the subconscious, trying to present them in such a way for the individual to comprehend.

"No...not Pepper-chan, or Wind-san, Danny-san, Noah-kun, Toby-kun, Lily-chan, Jake-san-"

"Okay-okay, I get the picture. So, yew dun' know 'ese kids personally, yet yew see 'em?"

"Yes. Not sure...what they be wantin'."

"Hmm." That certainly was interesting. Nightmares couldn't have minds of their own, but few people could approach individual pieces of their dreams unless they were lucid dreamers or at least aware of what was happening at that moment. "Noodle, are yew ever aware, while yew are dreamin', tha' yew _are _dreamin'? 'Ave yew ever looked at somethin' in yer dreams an' realize ih's fake?"

"No, dreams very real." They were always so vivid and familiar that there was little chance she would realize they were just fabrications of her own mind while experiencing them. It was only after she awoke that she realized this and the minute details were already fading from her mind.

"I see. Well, if the chance were ta ever surface tha' yew realize yer dreamin', try ta confront one o' the children an' ask 'em wot 'eir purpose is."

"Ask dreams?"

"Yes, some people are capable o' directly askin' 'eir subconscious questions. If yew ever get the chance, talk ta one o' the children. 'Ey might be 'ere ta 'elp yew an' can't get close enough 'cause the dark things won't let 'em."

The children were her allies? All clad in their military uniforms and acting very un-childlike. They looked menacing sometimes, ready for battle and probably not even twelve years old. Could they really be the good guys?

* * *

"Anythin'?" 2D whispered so that Noodle couldn't hear him.

"A lil'le," Dr. Wash replied. "I want yew ta do somethin' fer me."

"Wot?"

"If Noodle ever comes ta yew, sayin' somethin' about talkin' ta one o' the children in 'er 'ead, yew need ta listen ta 'er. An', if yew ever 'ear 'er talkin' in 'er sleep, listen very closely ta wot she may be sayin'. She remembers things about 'er nightmares, but ih's very difficult fer 'er ta recall 'em exactly."

"Children in 'er 'ead?" 2D looked over at Noodle, who was coaxing Lizzie to give her a piece of candy from the bowl on the receptionist's desk. "She's got children in 'er 'ead? Are 'ey Peppeh?"

"No, she doesn't know 'oo 'ey are, but 'ey might be very useful in 'elpin' 'er."

2D clenched the hem of his shirt in his hands. "I uh...I wanna ask yeh somefink. Yew specialize in mental diseases in kids. So um... do yeh 'fink tha's wot's 'appenin'?"

"I can't make a safe assumption quite yet, but I believe tha' wotever Noodle's problem is, ih's not based in a mental disease. I'm more leanin' towards possible past trauma, which led ta the amnesia- 'er mind tryin' ta ferget- an' the nightmares are a result o' fleetin' 'alf-memories." He paused after seeing 2D stiffen. "I'm not blamin' yew fer the possible trauma. Noodle shows no signs o' abuse while bein' in yer care an' she adores yew. Wotever 'is is, ih 'appened before yeh got 'er an' I believe she'll flourish even more in yer care."

" 'Fank yew. C'mon Noodle," the blunette called to the young girl, who finally managed to win her treat. "We're goin' ta Peppeh's 'ouse."

"No-no! Not yet," she said as they left the building and started walking to the car 2D had driven them there in. Her overnight bag was already packed in the backseat with the original plan having been taking her directly to Pepper's house. "Need to get guitar!"

"Yer guitar? Noodle, do yeh really need ih?"

"Yes-yes, Pepper-chan say bringin' anythin' fun! Please-please-please-please-"

_God damn yew Peppeh! _2D cursed inside his head as Noodle kept up her continual pleas that she had, no doubt, adopted from Pepper. "Alright, we'll go back an' get yer guitar. Buckle up." Noodle quieted immediately, buckling her safety belt and quite satisfied with 2D agreeing to her request. The blunette rolled his eyes, an action invisible to everyone else. Noodle was so spoiled, even if she didn't show the stereotype. She got everything she wanted, she just didn't want a lot of things or her desires were very simple. He didn't know if that was her naturally, or if Pepper had passed that trait to her as well, considering the latter's home life was filled with a "the best things in life are free" mentality. He rather liked it.

He didn't know what to expect in the quick "pop-in" that was originally planned, but what happened was definitely not it. Noodle came in with him, but she didn't have a chance to rush upstairs before Rachel darted into the front hall, her eyes wide with confusion and apprehension. She was so flustered, she couldn't even form a coherent sentence. Instead, she grabbed 2D by his arm and dragged him into the kitchen, Noodle following close behind. David was still at the table, but he had abandoned his paper to instead stare at the kitchen phone that was off its mount and standing in the center of the table. No one spoke, they only stared at the phone.

"Wot is goin' on?!" 2D finally broke the silence.

"Jus' wait fer ih," said David, not even breaking his gaze. Sure enough, the phone started ringing. The older man didn't answer it right away, casting a quick glance at his wife and son before grasping the phone and answering. " 'Ello?" A high-pitched rambling came from the other end that he somehow managed to comprehend. "Peppeh, yer in luck, Stuart's 'ere." He passed the phone to his son without further explanation.

" 'Ello-"

"Abort-abort-abort! Ih's all gone to 'Ell! Ih's all gone wrong! Fer the sake uv yer saniteh, stay in the sanctiteh uv yer dear looveleh (lovely) 'ome! Ih's all broken down! The plans-the plans! Me worst nightmare coom ta life- a reoccurrin' realiteh! Fer the loove uv God- STAY AWAY!"

"Peppeh? Wot te 'ell?!" he didn't care about cussing at a child, especially since that child had practically busted his ear drum. "Wot's gone wrong?"

"Tha' drop-in bitch!" she hissed. "An' 'er li'le robot! Tonight's canceled!"

"Pepper-chan?" Noodle tugged at 2D's trousers, having heard her friend through the phone from across the kitchen. "What is wrong? Pepper-chan!"

"Change uv thought!" Pepper continued. "Please coom an' get me! Lemme stay at yer place fer a bit! Please-please-please-please-ple-" The phone suddenly cut out, leaving 2D to lower it from his ear, his dents ghostly white from the initial shock. They changed back to black with a single blink. He set the phone back in the center of the table, dragging one of the empty chairs toward himself in order to sit down.

"An explanation wewd be nice," he said.

"I wos 'opin' yew cewd tell us," said Rachel. "She's been callin' eveh since yew left, beggin' ta talk wiff yew. She wewdn't settle fer one o' us, so we 'ad ta wait 'til yew got back. So 'en...wot did she want?"

"I ain't got no freakin' clue! But she sounded pretty desperate. She said "ih's all broken down", "ih's all gone wrong", wot'cha s'pose tha' means?"

"Maybe somethin' 'appened ta 'eir 'ouse," David suggested. "Maybe an accident."

"But she asked fer me ta come get 'er an' ta let 'er stay 'ere a bit. She said somefink about a drop-in..._witch_ an' 'er robot. 'Er worst nightmare come ta life." This comment made Noodle tense up. Pepper's worst nightmare come to life? Did she have the same condition? And if her nightmares came to life- real, actual life- then maybe her own would follow soon into the waking world?

"Maybe we shewd call an' ask fer Sage or Riveh," said Rachel. "Woteveh's wrong, Peppeh's too hysterical ta answer." When nobody made a move toward the phone, she did it herself, picking it up and dialing the number. She held the phone a ways from her ear, just in case a certain frantic twelve-year-old happened to pick it up. She walked around the kitchen, tensing herself for whatever was on the other end. After a bit, her eyes narrowed as she set the phone back on the table. "No one picked up."

"Somefink's wrong," said 2D. "Very wrong."

"Somethin' bein' wrong, we must help!" Noodle spoke up. "Help Pepper-chan and family! Must!"

"I guess we cewd do a li'le investigatin'," said David.

"By "we", yew mean "me"," 2D sighed.

" 'At's meh boy."

Though he tried his hardest, 2D could not get Noodle to remain behind while he went to investigate. She insisted on coming to assist Pepper in whatever had happened to her. She wouldn't tell 2D the true reason behind her stubbornness, but the truth was, she felt she needed to be there to help fight Pepper's living nightmare. She _needed_ to be there! Only she understood what her friend was going through and, with a mind like Pepper's, she could only imagine what horrors the girl had unleashed on the waking world. 2D only consented after he started backing the car out and almost ran Noodle over because she tried to climb on the back bumper.

The car ride was mostly silent, the both of them mentally preparing for whatever situation would greet them at the Kendricks household. 2D was mostly envisioning a fire, a cave-in, a mishap with that damn machete, someone getting hit by a car, etcetera. Noodle was thinking of the nightmare-monsters in her own head, but also trying to think of any design of beast that could have popped out of Pepper's slightly deranged mind. She force herself to stop in fear that all the images in her head would manifest in her own dreams if she continued thinking them up. More monsters was the last thing she needed at the moment.

"Everythin' seems normal," 2D said cautiously as they slowed to a halt at the Kendricks house. "Wait a minute- tha's not 'eir car." A strange car was parked in the driveway, one neither of them had seen before.

"Thank God!" Pepper shoved her stubborn window up and hopped out on the roof, kneeling to recover a bulging bag from inside her room. "Get me outta 'ere!"

2D leaped out of the car, getting choked by his safety belt wrapping around his neck. "Peppeh! Get off te roof!"

"Tha's the plan!"

"Dun' jump!"

"Fer fuck's sake!" Wind poked his head out of window. "Get off the damn roof!"

"Pepper!" Danny shoved Wind aside, having entered his room since her window wasn't on this side of the house. "Get back inside 'is 'ouse right now!"

"No!" the girl wailed, tossing her bag onto the lawn and in preparation to jump herself. The next few seconds were a mess of screams, pleads, running around on the roof and lawn, and a frantic Danny trying to squeeze out of Wind's window in order to fetch her sister. The train wreck came to a screeching halt coinciding with the appearance of River from the house, looking absolutely furious.

"Pepper Kendricks!" he shouted. "Get off tha' roof!"

"I'm tryin'!" she yelled back, struggling against the choke-hold Danny had placed on her. "Mister Pot's coom to take me away from 'is nightmare!"

2D had never seen River in such a state. His ponytail was pulled loose, the shoulder-length hair sticking to his forehead and the back of his neck. A series of wrinkles had magically appeared under his eyes, significantly different from the laugh-lines on his face. He looked incredibly tired and rundown. This was not the River he was accustomed to seeing happily greet them. Something had changed him, something that had frightened Pepper enough that she almost took a leap of faith from the roof.

"I'm so sorry, Stuart," he groaned.

"Ih's okay, I jus' wanna know wot's goin' on." He looked back at the car, observing Noodle as she climbed out from the back and rushed over.

"I see, yeh brought Noodle. I jus' wish we cewd've talked under better conditions."

"Riveh, wot's wrong?"

A shrill scream almost broke the sound barrier. 2D flung himself toward the car in a manic attempt at taking cover. Once he had sheltered himself, Noodle right beside him, they both looked back toward the lawn only to gasp in shock. In the midst of the sudden scream and their mad scramble for safety, River had leaped into the driveway, Wind had ducked back into his room after slamming the back of his head on his window-frame, Danny had slipped and fallen on her backside, clinging to the roof tiles, and Pepper had fallen off the roof.

"Oh dear me!" said the source of the scream, a woman in her mid-thirties dressed as though she were about to go to a job interview. She managed to traverse the lumpy lawn in her high heels to kneel beside Pepper. "Juniper, are yew alright?"

"Junipeh-wot?" 2D said before he could stop himself.

The woman looked over at him and Noodle, her face twisting into dissatisfaction. "Get outta 'ere, yeh beggers! We dun' 'ave anythin' fo' yeh!"

"Mary!" River approached the woman, tiredly running a hand through his hair. " 'Ese are family friends. Tha's Stuart Pot an' 'is adopted daughter Noodaru. She wos supposed ta 'ave a sleepover with _Pepper_ tonight." Both 2D and Noodle noted his odd stressing of Pepper's name. That woman, Mary, had called her a different name, so which was the right one? Speaking of Pepper, the girl was lying perfectly still in a small heap. 2D's heart jumped in his throat at the sight, fearing she was badly hurt and wondering why River wasn't concerned in the least. His answer was revealed soon enough. "Pepper, stop fakin', yer not foolin' anyone."

"Ih's not fair!" the girl sprang to her feet, apparently completely unharmed after falling off the roof. "I've 'ad 'is night planned fer weeks an' _she _'ad to coom an' ruin ih!"

Mary spoke first before River could even think of something to say. "Now listen 'ere, Juniper Meadow Kendricks. Yew will show yer aunt proper respect an' stop usin' tha' infernal accent!"

"Mummy?" a young boy, no older than ten, stood in the doorway, a concerned-looking Sage right behind him. His blonde hair was slicked flat against his head and he was wearing a neat, little, blue uniform that looked like it was from a fancy private school. 2D couldn't help but gape at Mary, her apparent son, and their clothing, so out of place in the Kendricks household they had come to know and love. The boy walked out onto the lawn, moving in a fluid movement so perfect 2D wouldn't have been surprised if it had been accomplished with hours of practice balancing books on his head. He looked like one of those children from Village of the Damned.

_Tha' drop-in bitch an' 'er li'le robot..._This was certainly interesting.

* * *

Sorry for such a long wait for such a short chapter. If the chapter's not very long, by my standards (I have a set number range), I usually don't try to make you guys wait long. But I think you all will be happy to know that, after a break from Arms of an Angel, I managed to come up with a new chapter idea. That should be out soon...hopefully.

~The Strawberry Phoenix


	10. Danny's Deal

Danny's Deal

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

"This is so oonfair!" Pepper continued to whine. "Yew knew wot tonight wos an' yer lettin' 'er stay anehway!" River only shot a glare at his youngest child, ultimately silencing her into an enraged pout.

"Stuart, unfortunately we 'ave... unexpected company," he said tiredly.

"Joost kick 'er out!" Pepper shouted. Noodle approached her friend from behind and threw her arm around her head, her forearm blocking the girl's mouth. She could see the situation was not something that needed to be stirred up, not matter how upset Pepper was. The girl at least seemed to understand, eventually relaxing in Noodle's grip.

"Tha' woman," River went on to explain, gesturing to the front door where Mary had vanished back inside, leaving them on the lawn, "is meh sister. She sorta always drops in unexpectedly with 'er son. The unfortunate thing is...well-"

" 'E's spineless!" Pepper spat, yanking on Noodle's arm in order to speak clearly. " 'E won't tell 'er to get outta 'is 'ouse! She's a monster!" Pepper untangled herself from Noodle and stomped over to the two adults. "She uses psychological torture! I might kill 'er 'is time!" River reached out and smacked the back of Pepper's head. She hissed in pain and glared at him, but stayed silent this time.

"As Pepper 'as colorfully put ih, I cannot bring mehself ta throw 'er out. I'm very sorry, but I'm not too sure Noodle can stay the night. Ih wewd be a bit crowded an'...honestly, I jus' dun' wanna make 'er put up with meh sister." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply as he did so. He brought his hand in front of his face, grimacing slightly at a face strands of his hair caught between his fingers. He picked them out and dropped them in the grass without a single word.

"Well 'en..." said 2D, trying to think of something to say to River to offer his condolences. The poor elder man looked so horrible in comparison to the last time 2D had seen him- and that was only a few days ago. He had aged ten years in that span of time. "I guess we shewd go, Noodle."

"Take me with ye!" Pepper desperately looked around for the bag she had packed for herself and thrown from the roof before making her own leap. "Where is ih? Where did ih go?! Yew did soomthin' with ih, didn't ye?!"

"Danny took ih," River replied, earning a loud shriek from his youngest, who burst into the house to find her bag.

"Look Riveh," 2D spoke up, "maybe we shewd take Peppeh wiff us. She's obviously not too 'appy 'bout 'is situation."

"No," River replied firmly. "All the children stay. Danny already tried ta escape ta a friend's 'ouse. Yew dun' understand, Stuart. We...we 'ave ta stay together durin' 'is time. When Mary's 'ere...our entire way o' life is constantly bein' questioned an' ridiculed. We 'ave ta stay together ta stay strong."

"Why is yer way o' life ridiculed? I like yer way o' life!"

"But ih's not _natural_, apparently. 'Ese days, yeh dun' let yer kids pick names fer 'emselves, an' 'ey're not allowed ta talk back or express 'eir opinion on any situation, whether ih concerns 'em or not," his voice began to gradually raise in pinch and volume, "an' 'ey can't 'ave any fun, or laugh, or sing, or make jokes, 'ey jus' 'ave ta be stoic, li'le, brain-dead zombies tha' jus' sit in the corner when yeh dun' want 'em doin' chores or 'eir 'omework, poor, sufferin', li'le bastards-!"

"Riveh!" 2D never thought he would ever have to shake someone who was in hysterics, but there was a first time for everything. River sat down in the grass, a hand against his chest as he breathed deeply to get control of himself. "I've neveh seen yeh like 'is."

"She's a leech! A joy-leech! She'll kill us one day Stuart!" he said hoarsely. "Jus' look at wot she's turned 'er son inta! He even speaks in a monotone! Do yew know I've neveh met tha' boy's father? Probably offed 'imself..."

Noodle could only watch the poor man's descent into madness at the prospect of his sister staying with them. So this was Pepper waking nightmare? She could see why her friend feared it so much. Judging from the span of time between Pepper originally calling David and Rachel's house and the call where she finally got a hold of 2D, this Mary woman couldn't have been here for more than an hour-and-a-half to two hours at the most. She had already caused all this turmoil just by showing up and she looked so ordinary. Who would have thought such an incarnation of chaos would resemble an ordinary woman? Maybe that was what made her so deadly. A monster didn't always looked like a monster. Noodle narrowed her eyes as she made her decision.

"I want...to stay," she stated.

"Trust me, meh dear," said River in a haunting voice, "yew dun'."

"No, I stayin'."

2D frowned, his mind switching back and forth between possible outcomes. Noodle was capable of so much and whether or not she handled this situation correctly would determine the result. Worst case scenario (or best, he wasn't sure), River would have one less family problem to deal with and that could come about in several ways- some of them illegal. He guessed Noodle wanted to stay in order to keep Pepper from snapping her aunt's neck. That itself was a responsible decision, but he still feared for Noodle if what River was saying was true. If the mere presence of his sister reduced this happy-go-lucky man to what he saw sitting in the grass before him, the blunette feared what Noodle could become and if she could ever get back to normal.

"Are yeh sure Noodle?"

"Yes."

The three of them jumped as a loud shriek echoed from within the house. Pepper tumbled through the front door, dragging her bag by the strap and unaware that it was open and her clothes were spilling behind her. "Let's go-let's go-let's go!"

River stuck one arm out and caught her as she tried to go by, standing up and holding her tightly under his arm. "Now Pepper, Noodle's decided ta stay 'ere an' keep yew in check-"

"No!" she screamed. "Noodle-roo, ye doon' know wot yer gettin' yerself into! She'll massacre yew!"

"Stop, Pepper-chan," said Noodle. "The whitecoats bein' mine in dreams, but there they stay. Yours is walkin'."

"I doon' know wot ye joost said, boot ye 'aven't done me aneh wrong before. Ye wanna 'elp me, doon'cha? 'Elp all uv oos..."

"You are my friends." 2D felt himself swell with pride at Noodle's statement. Despite the doubts he had about himself and his parenting skills every single day, every time Noodle said something to that degree, he knew he was at least doing something right. "Toochie, I am stayin'."

"Okay Noods, lemme get yer bag."

* * *

"Ahem," that throat-clearing alone made the Kendricks tense immediately, "so, _Noodaru_, 'ow did yew come ta know Juniper?"

Noodle's eyebrows shot up her face. There it was again; that name Juniper. She had learned something recently: 2D had another name, a name that other people who had known him in the before-time called him by. That name was Stuart, the name that had baffled her for the longest time. Rachel, David, River, Sage, and even Wind called him Stuart, or Stu, she called him Toochie, Pepper and Danny both called him Mister Pot... It was all so confusing. Now she had another mystery name to deal with, but at least she had a clue provided via Mary. She, Noodle, knew this Juniper person already.

"Mary," River cut in before Noodle could respond, "Noodle doesn't know _Pepper _by tha' name."

"Noodle?!" Mary set her fork down. The Kendricks tensed up once again, anticipating something sinister was approaching the dinner table atmosphere. Noodle glanced quickly at Pepper, who looked as if she was about to explode. Whatever this subject about names was about, Pepper certainly didn't like it, and thus, neither did Noodle. " 'Ow cewd yew drag another man's child inta 'is foolish nonsense o' "chosen names"? Yew shewd be ashamed o' yerselves! She 'as a perfectly acceptable name an' yew go an' turn ih inta _tha'_?!"

"Stuart called 'er Noodle even before 'ey met us," Wind growled lowly, finding the wood of the dinner table quite fascinating at the moment. "Ih's called a "nickname", not a chosen name."

That did seem to calm Mary down a bit, but she was far from over. "Well, I guess tha's acceptable. But still, such a foolish nickname. Tha' man shewd 'ave 'is 'ead checked, an' a few other things as well. Did yew see 'is face?"

Pepper shoved herself against the table, shooting back in her chair and preparing to dash out. "Pepper-chan...don't go," Noodle whispered softly, making her stop with only one foot on the linoleum. "I know it bein' hard, but...the whitecoats." The girl's body was trembling in rage, her fist clenching so hard her nails drove themselves into her palm. She sat back down and pulled herself back toward the table. Despite the noise and movement, the others carried on like Pepper hadn't done a thing, shocking Noodle greatly as Mary continued in her rant.

"Wotever 'appened ta good family values an' raisin' a child in a stable 'ome? 'E looked like 'e 'ad escaped from a mental institution. Tha' can't possibly be good fer a child's development. 'E must 'ave mental deficiencies, especially with the nickname 'e gave 'is daughter. Children need well-thought names tha' people will come ta respect 'em for an' ih is the responsibility o' the parent ta give 'em those names."

Another chair scraped and Noodle jerked her head to the side, expecting to see Pepper about to bolt again. To her amazement, Danny stood up with her empty plate and strode a little too quickly to the kitchen. She placed her plate in the sink and quickly left, the sounds of her footsteps echoing softly after Mary's rant had halted. The woman seemed a little miffed, but didn't say anything about Danny's quick exit, preferring to go back to the subject at hand, even if no one was contributing to the one-sided conversation that ruled the table.

"Mum," Pepper growled lowly, "Noodle-roo an' I are doone, can we go?"

"Can yew?" said Mary.

"Yes we can," Pepper spat.

"Don'chu mean "may we"?"

"Yes Pepper, yew an' Noodle may leave." Sage's words were simple, but her tone said much more. She wanted them out of this situation, even if she had to suffer.

Pepper grabbed a pillow off of her bed upon reaching her room and screamed into it, stamping her foot on the floor as she did so. Noodle checked the missing leg of her bed frame, which was now supported by a stack of books, before sitting on the bedspread and waiting patiently for her friend to resurface for air. After screaming her frustration out, Pepper lobbed the pillow across the room. It sailed and smacked with a dull thud against her closet door. Her rage wasn't satiated quite yet, leading her to punch it thoroughly from where it had fallen.

"Tha' woman! I can't stand 'er! "Family values" this an' "may we?" tha'! Why can't she jus' drop ih?!" Noodle didn't say a word, not so much as to let Pepper get her frustration out, but more because she was shocked to hear her friend speak without her Liverpudlian accent. "But yeh wanna know wot gets me the most? 'Er absolute refusal ta call us by our chosen names!"

"What are "chosen names"?" Mary had said that phrase before; she had thought Noodle's name was a chosen name. Was it? She didn't really choose it; it was more of a misunderstanding between her and her boys, but considering she couldn't remember her true name, it was perfectly fine to her. She rather liked it, considering the boys had bestowed it upon her.

"Lemme take yeh through ih. Imagine 'is, hypothetically speakin': yew are born an' yer dad gives yew a name, yer birth name. Yeh live the beginnin' years o' yer life bein' called by tha' name; once yer old enough ta understand, yer dad gives yew the option ta be called somethin' else. Yer legal name is still yer birth name, but yer chosen name is a name yew picked fer yerself an' ih's wot yew prefer ta be called. Mine is Pepper."

"What is your birth name?"

Pepper scowled, but answered anyhow. "Juniper. Juniper Meadow Kendricks."

"Sounds nice."

"Ih's not the name ihself. Dun' get me wrong, I like meh name an' I dun' mind a slip-up now an' again, but when someone absolutely refuses ta call yeh by yer chosen name...well, ih's an insult. Ih's like sayin' "yer jus' a stupid, li'le kid an' can't make decisions on yer own. I'm not gonna call yew by the name yew chose 'cause yeh got no right in choosin' ih.""

"Nickname," Noodle held up one hand, "chosen name?" then held up the other.

" 'Ey can be the same in some situations. A nickname is a shortened version o' yer name, or ih's a unique trait about yew, or somethin' yeh do, an' a lot o' times other people give yeh nicknames, yeh know? 'Ey're the ones callin' yeh ih. A chosen name is a name yeh picked fer yerself. Did yew pick "Noodle" or did yer dad?"

"Toochie," she replied.

"Tha' makes ih a nickname, an' also wot yeh jus' said; yeh call yer dad "Toochie", fer wotever reason, so yew gave 'im a nickname as well."

"Chosen names...in all family?"

"All except me mum," Pepper appeared to have calmed down enough to start speaking with her preferred accent again. "Me mum's birth name is Sage. Me dad chose 'is name, as did Danneh an' Wind."

"What are theirs?"

"Me dad used ta be Andrew, Wind wos born with the name Storm Cloud Kendricks, an' Danneh-"

Her door opened, breaking the conversation. Wind walked in, tossing a small, crumpled object at Pepper. "Yeh did good sis, relatively speakin'. At least yeh didn't cuss at 'er 'is time." He narrowed his gaze on Noodle. "Yew do well ta learn from 'is situation- keep yer cool, even under the 'arshest situation."

"Tha' woman doesn't deserve me cool," Pepper growled, unfolding the object to reveal five pounds. "I almost got away, I almost escaped, boot Dad stopped me. Why won't tha' devil-woman joost disown oos alreadeh? We'd all be better off."

"Yeh mean she 'asn't disowned us already?" Wind asked in genuine surprise.

"She doesn't talk about oos in froont uv 'er acquaintances, boot considerin' she keeps coomin' 'ere, she 'asn't "given oop" on oos."

"Given up?" Noodle asked. "For bein' what reasons?"

"She thinks she can fix oos."

"Nothin' wrong!" Noodle replied, feeling a bubble of anger well up inside her chest.

"I knew 'ere wos a reason I liked yew," said Wind. "So Pep, wot's yer plan in survivin' 'is time?"

"I'm not stayin' in the same 'ouse as tha' woman. Maybe I shewd let Cheddar loose," she said, eying the cage in the corner.

* * *

"Yer not jokin', are yew?" said David. The old man gaped at his son, honestly horrified by what was being told to him and his wife. The Kendricks were certainly eccentric and the Pots had accepted it as normal; the fact that this woman had spawned within the same family was unbelievable and she had the audacity to criticize them and their way of life. "I... I can't even imagine 'ow 'orrible tha' must be. I'm not surprised tha' Peppeh tried ta escape- or shewd I say Junipeh."

"I dun' 'fink tha's a good idea," said 2D. "Riveh said somefink about kids pickin' names fer 'emselves. I 'fink...I 'fink Junipeh's 'er real name an' she chose ta be called Peppeh. If Mary doesn't respect 'eir decisions, maybe she refuses ta call te kids by te names 'ey chose fer 'emselves."

"So Danny isn't 'er real name!" David crowed happily.

"Is tha' all yew can 'fink about?!" Rachel scolded her husband. " 'Ow wewd yew like ih if someone showed up 'ere unannounced an' started criticizin' us? An' a family membeh o' all people!"

"Yer motheh comes ta mind," he mumbled, earning himself a scathing glare. "Yer right- yer right. But wot can we do? 'Is isn't any o' our business."

2D placed his chin in his palm, only half-listening to his parents speaking. Their voices faded into white noise as he wandered into his thought-land. It was a place of complete serenity and peace, the best sort of place for a thickhead like him to think on a more difficult level. Every family had its oddballs, the people who just don't quite fit in. There was nothing "normal" about the Kendricks, so a person who appeared normal was abnormal. He scratched his head at the absurd thought. _If bein' abnormal is normal in te Kendricks, 'en bein' normal is abnormal. Te Kendricks are abnormal, which is normal, while Mary is normal, which is abnormal._

"Meh 'ead 'urts."

* * *

_Okay, 'is is takin' ih too far. _Danny knelt beside the tent, listening to the two voices inside converse with each other. _Pepper, I know yer 'urtin'. Every time Aunt Mary comes, I can see the pain quite clearly an' 'ere's a reason only I see ih the way I do. I am the odd one out o' the three o' us an' maybe tha' benefits me an' maybe ih doesn't. _Both Noodle and Pepper shrieked loudly as the tent opening was flung open and Danny's upper half appeared in the tent. "Yew two are crazy! Ih's below freezin' out 'ere an' yer campin' in our backyard in a tent!"

"Get off me back!" Pepper argued back. "I'm not stayin' oonder the same roof as tha' woman!"

"I knew yeh wewdn't listen ta me or reason, so I brought someone 'oo jus' might convince yew." The smug look on Danny's face was a major indicator that whoever this person was, the problem was going to get fixed. Also, judging by Pepper's slowly deepening grimace, she knew who this person was.

Noodle only sat quietly, trying to hide her shivering. It was indeed below freezing outside; all they needed was a little precipitation for a snowfall, but that wasn't in the forecast quite yet. She and Pepper had both realized the foolishness in sleeping outdoors in a flimsy tent, but their desperateness to get out of the devil-woman's aura reigned over common sense. Desperate times call for desperate measures- David taught her that. But nothing could have prepared to who poked their head under Danny's arm. With Mary now enemy number two (behind Erin, who had placed first this week by somehow locking a squirrel in Pepper's locker- the poor thing was terrified), the last person Noodle expected to come out here to reason with Pepper about coming back indoors was her own son.

"Are yew done now?" the young boy asked, his voice surprisingly meek compared to Mary's "auditorium voice", as Jake would have put it. In fact, his whole persona seemed to have changed. Despite acting as an automaton in the presence of his mother, his tie was now loosened, his face showing emotion- sympathy at the moment-, and he was kneeling in the grass and dirt. " 'Cause I'd sure like ih if yew cewd show me yer new party on yer Gameboy. I evolved meh Eevee inta Espeon, yer Muk ain't got a chance!" He ducked back out, his silhouette in the back door light fleeing back into the house.

All was quiet in the backyard after the back door slid shut. Noodle rubbed her hands against her arms as discreetly as she could, looking over Pepper, who refused to stop looking at the floor of the tent. "I...I am... missin' somethin'?"

"Yew are indeed," Danny replied. "Okay yew two, I'll cut'cha a deal. Yew come back inside an' we'll all hunker down in my room: no Aunt Mary, no troubles." Noodle struggled to even crawl on her knees after sitting stiffly to conserve her body heat. She eagerly crawled to the tent entrance, but stopped when she noticed Pepper had yet to move. "Pep? I know yew-"

"I realize tha'. I'm joost weighin' two diff'rent factors in me 'ead. On one side," she held out one of her hands, "I gotta go back inside. On the other," she held out her other hand, "me conscience will never let me live 'is down if I let 'er leave with Barneh in the mornin' an' 'e's missed out on 'is only experience uv freedom." She chewed the inside of her cheek for a little while, her eyes narrowing and relaxing as she thought.

" 'Urry ih up, I'm freezin'," Danny snapped.

"Bite me, Dan. I'm coomin'." She struggled out of the tent, leaning against Danny while she found her footing. "Joost leave the tent, Noodle-roo. We'll get ih in the mornin'." She was walking toward the house before Noodle even got out of the tent.

"Who is Barney?" she asked.

"Our cousin," said Danny. " 'Is name is Barnaby." Noodle snorted softly at the absurd-sounding name. "I know, ih really makes one think about wot she wos thinkin'. An' _she _feels she 'as a right ta criticize our names? But yeh wanna know somethin'? Barney's 'is chosen name, so tha's wot _we _call 'im. C'mon now, I can see yew shiverin'."

The only place Mary could sleep was on the couch, the only small pleasure that the Kendricks could find in this predicament. Barney always slept in Wind's room, out of his mother's line of sight. Little did she know, that was always when he did what he pleased without her judgement. These visits were taken in stride and Mary was tolerated simply because the Kendricks were trying to save her son from insanity. By the time Noodle and Danny got upstairs to the latter's room, Wind, Barney, and Pepper were already situated quite comfortably.

This was the first time Noodle had been in Danny's room. It was quite a change from the room that obviously belonged to a child. Danny's bed was tidy and not missing a leg. She had bookshelves decorated with several pictures of her, her friends, and her family. Noodle almost gasped upon seeing one that looked like professional portrait of Barney and Mary; that it, until she got closer and realized Mary's face had been scribbled on, leaving Barney's simple smile to radiate out of the photo. The walls were painted a soft pink, like Pepper's soft yellow walls. Wind's walls were gray, but he claimed they were once white; Noodle didn't question him further.

" 'Ello," Barney stood up from Danny's bed. "Yew must be Noodle." He grinned and looked directly at Pepper. "See? I used 'er chosen name," he said, as if seeking approval.

"Technicalleh, 'er daddy named 'er Noodle, so ih's a nickname, boot she prefers ih any'ow. Noodle-roo, Barneh, Barneh, Noodle-roo."

"I'm sorry about 'is," said Barney. "Meh mum an' I jus' droppin' in when yew were supposed ta 'ave a sleepover with Pepper."

"It is okay. Not bein' your choice."

"Yer right about tha'," Wind snorted. "So wot's the plan? We jus' gonna 'ide in 'ere till the mornin'?"

"Tha's the deal," said Danny. "So I 'ope yew guys brought somethin' ta keep yew entertained. 'Is is a safe place where we can express ourselves an' not be judged fer the decision we decide ta make."

"Wish brought my guitar," Noodle muttered, recalling the very reason she and 2D had gone back to Crescent Gate hours earlier. It only occurred to her now that she had forgotten to get her guitar, but her fear for Pepper's nightmare had overtaken any other concern at the time.

There was a minute pause of awkward silence before Wind said, "Ih's jus' not complete without popcorn."

Danny huffed and walked back out, Noodle chasing after her. They both went downstairs, passing by Mary as quietly as they could. She still noticed them; she could smell their innocence. Sage and River had taken shelter in their room, most likely not going to make an appearance until morning came. The house had never been this quiet before. The entire place seemed dead without the cheerful sounds the two girls were used to hearing.

"Noodle," Danny said in a soft whisper over the hum of the microwave. "Do yew understand tha' everyone is entitled ta 'eir own opinion?"

"What?"

"Simplify? Okay, umm...Hypothetically speakin', yew dun' like vanilla ice cream, but I do. Yew 'ave the right ta not like ih an' I 'ave the right ta like ih. Ya see? But ih only works if each person respects the other's decision; otherwise, we'd all jus' be arguing over which ice cream flavor is the best. 'Old 'is, will ya?" she gave a large bowl to Noodle for the popcorn.

"Why you sayin' this?"

Danny suddenly sighed deeply, her arms supporting her upper body against the counter. "Noodle...imagine every decision yew make, every opinion yew 'ave, now imagine if someone told yew 'ey were all wrong. Dad an' Mum raised Pepper an' Wind ta think openly an' express 'emselves."

"Not you?"

The older girl sighed again. "Wind an' Pepper 'ave been completely raised by Mum an' Dad. I spent four months with Dad's parents." Noodle didn't say a thing. River's parents had spawned both River and Mary, two completely different people in every way. What could they possibly be like if two different outcomes came from them? "Ih wos back when Wind wos li'le- two, I believe. I wos four an' Pep wasn't gonna be born fer another year. Dad got appendicitis. Tha's a real serious problem with yer appendix. 'Is ruptured- burst, ta simplify- right before 'e got ta the hospital. 'E 'ad ta stay 'ere a long time an' ih took a really long time fer 'im ta recover. I went ta stay with Grandma and Grandpa ta lighten up the stress on Mum in 'andlin' two kids an' fer when Dad came 'ome so 'e 'ad plenty o' peace."

"Wind stayed?"

"Yeah, 'e wos always pretty quiet. But 'ose months with Grandma an' Grandpa really gave me a different outlook. I guess if yer gonna dislike a way o' life, yeh need ta experience an' understand ih. Ih gives yew a reason ta 'ate ih."

"So...you hate Mary? Mary and the... way she is?"

"_Oh yeah_, Dad an' I are the only ones 'oo truly understand tha' way o' life. But...I gotta tell ya...I'm not too positive tha' the fashion I've been raised in may be fer me." She was quiet for a long while, staring out one of the kitchen windows into the backyard. "Noodle, 'ave yew ever questioned yer morals?"

"What are morals?"

They were interrupted by a series of loud footsteps coming down the staircase and a voice speaking up. "Where's the goodies?" Wind asked. "Yew guys are takin' forever."

"Shewd've known," Danny grumbled, emptying the two bags of popcorn into the bowl Noodle was holding. "Yer always so quiet until yew walk down the stairs. Why dun'chu make an effort 'en?"

"Dun' tell me wot ta do in meh own 'ouse," he replied, picking up the bowl out of Noodle's hands and lumbering back up the steps.

"I think...you are smart," Noodle spoke up as Danny shook her head at her brother. "You have...seen both sides, yes? Because... you have seen both sides... you can make... a choice... on how you... want to live? You make a choice... because you know the two sides."

"Yer English is gettin' really good; an' yeh know wot Noodle? I think yer pretty smart too."

It occurred to Noodle at that moment that this was longest she had interacted one-on-one with Danny. She didn't know too much about the older girl, considering she spent a lot of time away from her own house. Why was that? And she seemed to act rather differently than Pepper and Wind: she wasn't lazy or wild, she was not quiet, more soft-spoken, and she certainly did not display the odd qualities of the her other family members; yet, she wasn't like Mary and was definitely relieved that she wasn't. What was Danny exactly?

"C'mon Noodle, 'ey'll eat all the popcorn if we dun' 'urry."

Noodle cast a quick glance at Mary in the living room as they darted past. "She will be gone? In the mornin'?"

"Yeah, she an' Barney never stay long, tha's why we try ta make the best out o' one night fer 'im. Tha's a deal an' promise."


	11. Footprints

Footprints

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

"David-san, can you take me sleddin'?"

"Ahh, sorry lovie, too much work ta be done." David patted her on the head and turned his focus back up the ladder leading into the attic. "Yeh got ih, Stu?"

"Why d'yew guys 'ave so much crap up 'ere?!" 2D yelled back, a cloud of dust descending from the open hole in the ceiling as he stumbled around. He sneezed three times, hitting his head on a box on the third sneeze. He grumbled and shoved the box aside, looking specifically for the box labeled "Christmas Decorations." "Yew 'ave got ta be kiddin' me," he said upon seeing the box he was supposed to descend down the ladder with.

"Yeh find ih?"

"Wot d'yew 'fink? Da', yeh've seen me shirtless, 'ere's no way I can lift 'is down te ladder!"

"Give ih a try."

"I'm gonna break somethin' an' I'm not talkin' 'bout an ornament or te garage floor. 'Ere is no possible way 'is is gonna end well if I even try ih. 'Is box is really old an' rippin' apart from all te crap yew guys've stuffed in ih. Ih'll completely fall apart if I try ta lift ih- an' yer laughin' at me, aren'cha?"

"No," David managed to say after biting his lip. "Not at all. Jus' slide ih ta the 'ole an' start 'andin' me stuff." There was a loud scraping sound and grunting before the box came into view through the hole in the ceiling. 2D crouched beside the hole and began handing various decorations down to David, who climbed partway up the ladder to grab and set them down safely.

"David-san," Noodle started again.

"I'm sorry Noodle, but 'ere's jus' too much ta get done. Te family's comin' tomorrow fer Christmas Eve an' we need ta get ready. We need ta decorate te inside o' te 'ouse, start food preparations, clean te floors an' bedrooms, vacuum te stairs, etcetera. We need ta prepare fer te holidays."

"Build a bomb shelteh's more like ih," said 2D.

"Now Stu, te family's very eageh ta see yeh again- an' meet yer _daughteh_," he said the last part through clenched teeth, emphasizing his son's new role in life that had to pass in front of their family as well.

"No sleddin'?" Noodle asked.

"Go give Peppeh a ring on te phone," said 2D, handing down the star that would go on top of their- for now- bare tree.

"Doin' the same thing." It was the winter break from school and the joy of the season had been reinforced with a blanket of snow. Noodle and Pepper had played in it at the park; Pepper used her sled and had lent Noodle Wind's old sled. But as December twenty-fifth approached, the two found they didn't have as much freedom. Family was coming for the celebration and preparations had to be made.

"Noodle, 'ow about yeh start takin' 'ese decorations inside? Te sooneh we finish everythin', te betteh chance we'll get done before nighttime an' yew can go sleddin'."

Noodle frowned and glanced at the small, stacked pile of various decorations. She sighed and picked up a box of ornaments, closing the door between the house and garage behind her to keep the cold out. The last thing she heard was 2D shriek "Spider!", a loud thud, then a lot of shattering glass. She set the box down on the couch in the den. The tree was set in the corner, bare branches ready for lights and ornaments. Several brightly-colored packages were already set beneath it; she had already looked at them, most were for her- big surprise there. Not that she was complaining, but she had already run out of space to put the things she received for her birthday. That room was becoming very cramped.

A few days ago, 2D had shown her a couple of pictures of the inside of a flat. He had said they were going there soon and if everything went well, they would be moving their stuff there and living there. He had to quickly emphasize that she would see Rachel and David often and would still be going to the Causeway School. In fact, he planned to drop her off at school in the mornings and she would use the bus stop near Crescent Gate at the end of day. He would come get her once his work with David was done for the day. During the off-season for the fairgrounds, David was a for-hire repairman, a task he know shared with 2D so that the blunette had a job.

"Noodle?" Rachel called from the kitchen. "Wewd yew come 'ere?" The kitchen was alive with the most succulent aromas imaginable. 2D could gripe about Rachel's poor gardening skills, but even he could not say anything bad about her cooking and baking skills. "I want yew ta use 'ose cuttehs on te dough," she pointed to the dough already rolled out on the table for her. "Dip te cuttehs in tha' flour, cut out the shape in te dough, 'en put ih on 'is cookin' sheet. I'll bake 'em, 'en we can all take a break an' decorate."

Noodle waited until she turned her back to rip off a strip of the dough and stuff it in her mouth before getting to actual work. There were several shapes for Christmastime: snowmen, reindeer, bells, angels, snowflakes, stars, and, for some strange reason, a diamond. She shrugged off the odd cutter and started to craft a set number of reindeer. There was no Santa Claus cutter, or anything that resembled a sleigh, but she figured if she found a knife and played a little in the dough, she could come up with a close-enough shape to pass as a sleigh for the reindeer to pull.

"We get to eat these?" she asked.

"Not jus' 'ese, but lots o' treats- in moderation, mind yew. I dun' need Christmas-themed vomit in te toilet. But a lot o' 'ese will get wrapped inta take-'ome plates fer te family."

"Chigai! Karera ha jibunjishin wo tsukuru kotogadekiru!"she barked, slipping back into Japanese (Translation: "No! They can make their own!")

"Now Noodle, ih's te season o' givin'. Besides, te 'andin' out o' te plates is te signal fer everyone ta leave," she winked at the younger girl. "We'll 'ave Christmas biscuits, popcorn balls, fudge, caramel, everythin' yew can imagine."

"When they comin'?"

" 'Ey'll be 'ere tomorrow fer Christmas Eve. I 'fink 'ere'll be some kids yer age, so yeh won't be bored at least. Oh, an' beware Aunt Mavis, she'll pinch yer cheeks with 'er daggeh-nails."

" 'Ey Rachel!" came the faint shout from the garage. "Quick hypothetical: wot shewd yeh do if 'ere's glass everywhere te same color as te floor? Wait...I can see some o' te shards 'cause o' the blood..."

Rachel grumbled to herself and wiped her hands on a cloth before walking to the garage. Noodle leaned her chair on its back legs to watch her disappear. As soon as the woman was gone, she ripped off another strip of dough and stuffed it in her mouth. Happily humming a Christmas song she had heard on the radio, she started cutting more shapes into the dough and depositing them on the cooking sheet, stealing small pieces for her own desires. It was only bad if she got caught- there was a lesson Rachel and 2D hated David for teaching her. It wasn't like it was illegal. She almost choked on her current piece after hearing the garage door slam. 2D walked in, holding his bleeding left hand above his head. He went directly to the kitchen sink, turned on the water until it was steaming, and started running his hand under the stream.

"Everythin' bein' okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, but Mum's gonna 'ave ta do wiffout one o' te many sets o' ornaments she 'as kept oveh te years." He ripped off a chunk of the dough with his free hand, earning a glare from Noodle. "Dun' look at me like tha', I know yew were doin' ih too."

"How knowin' that?"

" 'Cause I did ih as a kid, as did everyone. So," he sat down in a free chair, holding a paper towel against his cut, "yeh excited ta meet te family? 'Ey're eageh ta meet yew."

Noodle frowned, a nervous butterfly fluttering in her stomach. "You think... they will like me?"

" 'Oo cewdn't like yew?" His words reassured, but there was still a hint of doubt. What if the Pot family harbored a Mary? She wasn't sure she could deal with one being in her own family. She had tried to convince herself she was just being silly, but considering that the happy-go-lucky Kendricks had such a dramatically-different relative only left her more worried. 2D didn't seem worried, maybe a little annoyed at the mention of certain relatives' names, but definitely nothing that gave her a red flag.

"I can't believe yew broke 'em!" Rachel wailed, carrying the partially-crushed box of Christmas ornaments inside while David shut the door behind him.

"Well Mum, if yeh 'elp me get te glass shards outta meh arse, I'll be glad ta glue 'em back togetheh fer yew," said 2D.

"Oh dear," David stated in a drawl voice, "now we'll only 'ave three sets ta choose from fer a once-a-year event. Y'know wot? Let's let Noodle pick which ornaments go up. Rachel, yew an' 'er can decorate te tree while Stu an' I finish puttin' up te lights."

"Da'!" 2D held up his hand, which now had the paper towel stuck to it. "I'm ain't gettin' up on some roof ta 'ang lights!"

David gave him a look through half-lidded eyes. "Noodle-love, wewd yeh like ta be more o' a 'elp in settin' up?" 2D scowled at him, knowing his father had won without even having to lift a finger; in fact, he barely even changed the levels of his voice. The blunette stood up and wandered to the front hall to go upstairs. There was a first aid kit in the bathroom and if he was going on the roof, he wanted his hand to be well-protected. " 'Is is gonna be good," David chuckled.

"Our son 'as a daughteh ta raise," said Rachel, "please dun' maim 'im."

But he was right- it was certainly a spectacle to behold. Noodle stood on the front lawn, wearing a Christmas sweater to keep warm. She rather liked the knitted sweater; it wasn't too over-the-top, just plain red except for the sleeves, which were red and white striped like a candy cane. She kept her foot on the bottom rung of the ladder to help keep it in place. 2D and David scrambled all over the snow-covered roof, getting the long strands of lights tangled around their ankles, slipping and sliding down the rooftop. 2D shrieked every time he neared the edge, while David joked that at least they would have a soft landing; still, he instructed Noodle to rush inside and tell Rachel to call an ambulance if anything happened.

"Tha' wasn't so bad," said David, laughing as he watched 2D descend down the ladder, shaking so badly that the ladder itself rattled.

"Buggeh off, yew old sod. But at least te 'ouse looks nice." All three snorted at the sight of the huge clumps of missing snow on the roof where 2D and David had flailed about to keep from falling off. "If Mum asks...ih wos already like tha'."

"Noodle, do te honors?" David held up the ends of two cords, one for the lights and one that connected to an outlet in the garage. "Jus' press 'em togetheh." She grabbed the two ends and did as he told, gasping as the lights turned on, glittering off the snow. "Ih'll look betteh at night. Yeh did good- betteh 'an Stu. 'E shocked 'imself."

"Yew were te one tha' 'ad te wrong ends! Yeh need one o' each!" He paused for a moment, glaring at the cords. "Tha' wos 'ow yeh taught me about te birds an' te bees."

"Birds and bees?" said Noodle.

"We're not ready fer tha' yet," 2D replied hastily. "C'mon, let's go inside. Yew get ta pick te ornaments."

* * *

"Stuart! Get outta te showeh! 'Ey're gonna be 'ere any minute!" Rachel rapped her knuckles hard on the bathroom door, her hair half-made up with a few strands falling over in her face. 2D replied back with something hard hitting the door on the other side- probably a shampoo bottle. "I told yew wot time 'ey wewd be comin', but yew jus' 'ad ta procrastinate!"

"Mum!" The door cracked open, 2D's white dents appearing through it. "Dun' use tha' language when Noodle's nearby- an' I dun'!"

"Not masturbate, yew idiot," said David as he passed by them in the hallway. He descended the stairs and walked into the den, taking a moment to admire the tree decorated with the blue and silver ornament set that Noodle had picked out from Rachel's collection, before walking into the kitchen just in time to witness Noodle jump off the counter, a guilty look on her puffed-up face. "Yeh best swallow woteveh's in yer mouth, dear. I won't tell on ya," he grabbed a large piece of fudge and stuffed it in his mouth, "if yeh do te same fer me."

The house had a rather small dining room, only used for important dinner; most dinners were eaten on the kitchen table. The large table in the dining room made it difficult to move about, especially considering the tablecloth kept catching on their clothes and threatened to cling to them and take off all the dishes. Noodle had counted the seats up- fourteen, minus Rachel, David, and 2D, meaning eleven people were coming. Her mood had deflated somewhat when Rachel told her she, as well as the other children, had to eat at the kitchen table instead of at the lavishly-decorated one.

The counters in the kitchen had snacks set out on them for people to munch on before dinner; after all, it was only two in the afternoon. The take-home plates had been hidden away along with the extra sweets- or so Rachel had thought, but at least Noodle knew her limit for sweets and she had actually barely eaten any at all. She was too flustered to properly enjoy any food at the moment, it all just sat in her stomach like a stone. The family would be here and the judgement would begin. She still held high hopes that a Mary was not among the ranks of the Pot family and, considering 2D just seemed annoyed about the family and not downright terrified, she was pretty confident.

Then doorbell rang suddenly and Noodle froze up.

"David, cewd yew get tha'?" Rachel called from upstairs. "I'm not ready yet!"

"Yes masteh," David mumbled to himself, walking into the front hall and opening the door. "Welcome ta meh mistress's lovely 'ome."

"Still quite the jokeh, David?" said the woman in the couple at the door. "Keep at ih, yer gonna need ih ta continue livin' wiff meh sister."

"Ih's nice ta see yew too, Natalie." David did seem genuinely happy to see this woman and her husband, offering the woman a quick kiss on the cheek and the man a firm handshake. "Soon, te cascade shall begin."

"Yeh got tha' right," said Natalie's husband. "Are Travis an' Allison comin'?" He took off his overcoat and tossed it to the side, accidentally flinging it right at Noodle. She squeaked as she was buried in darkness and tripped on the long coat. "Oh God! I'm sorry darlin', I 'fought yew were a stool, jus' standin' 'ere." He untangled her and helped her stand up, but she was finding it hard to do so after something hard in his coat pocket had hit her in the head.

"Great job in taggin' yer nephew's daughteh in te 'ead, Chad," said David.

"So _yer _Noodaru! I believe yew jus' got 'it with yer present." He buried his hand into one of the coat's pockets and pulled out a small, wrapped packet. Noodle blinked a few times, trying to clear her fuzzy vision, but managed to accept the gift and thank him before walking unsteadily into the den to deposit it with the rest of the gifts under the tree.

"Wait Noodle," David cut her by the shoulder. "Dun' put tha' wiff yer otheh presents. Yew get ta open tha' one tonight, te othehs wait till mornin'."

"Why tonight?"

"We exchange presents we got fer otheh family membehs tha' dun' live wiff us now an' open 'em afteh dinneh. Yew jus' set tha' somewhere safe, but we definitely dun' want ih gettin' lost wiff yer otheh gifts."

"Look at tha' haul!" Natalie said after seeing all the presents under the tree. "Yer gonna spoil 'er."

"Personally, I 'fink ih's impossible," David replied. "Yeh cewd give 'is kid te world an' she'll still get a kick out o' a box filled wiff packin' peanuts." He flicked on the television and set it to a channel playing Christmas music to set the atmosphere.

What David had said was true; in no time, people began arriving mere minutes apart from one another. Noodle hid in the den, not taking a chance at being mistaken for a stool again and getting pegged in the head. She sat on the couch, absentmindedly picking at a loose thread of her Christmas sweater. She would greet people if they approached her, but preferred to take an observational standpoint for now. She didn't say anything beyond "Hello", "Yes, or "No" until someone different from the others sank into the cushions beside her.

"So yer the one everyone's excited about?" the moody teenaged boy mumbled at her, not even making eye-contact.

"I guess," she said back.

He eyed her with a sideways glance before huffing, "Yer nothin' special."

Noodle glared at him, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but her attention was drawn away from Moody when 2D half-stumbled into the den, trying to pat out the wrinkles in his shirt. He looked so out of place among his relatives, but he even looked out of place in her memories. His hair was somewhat neatly combed and he was dressed in dress slacks and a button-up shirt. He just looked... so awkward.

"Where's yer mum?" David pulled 2D aside.

"Still gettin' ready." He looked around at the adults and children in the den and those who had migrated toward the kitchen. "Looks like a lot o' people showed 'is time." On cue, there was another knock at the door, but this knock surprised both 2D and David. The elder man did a double-take and a quick headcount before just staring in the direction of the front door in disbelief. "Maybe...maybe ih's carolers," 2D suggested. "I'll get ih." He walked into the entrance hall and opened the front door warily.

"I bring frankincense!" Pepper announced herself loudly, spooking 2D enough that he shrieked. All conversation in the other parts of the house stopped. "Wind's got the gold an' Dan's got the myrrh."

"Pepper, be quiet!" Danny whispered. " 'Ey 'ave family over."

"Yes..." 2D gasped, trying to get his breath back. "Won't yew... won't yew please come in?"

"We 'ope ta not be long," said Danny as she and her younger siblings passed through the threshold, each carrying a wrapped gift. "We 'ave ta get back ta our family's celebration, but we've got gifts fer yew guys."

"Yer family?" 2D squeaked.

"Mum's side," Wind said as he disappeared down the hall into the den, pausing momentarily at the sight of several pairs of strangers' eyes staring at him. "Evenin' folks, 'ow's yer day goin'?"

"Noodle-roo!" Pepper shoved past her brother, heaving a rather large gift. "I've got soomthin' special fer yew! Can she open ih?" she asked David, who nodded in response. She placed the large and haphazardly-wrapped present in Noodle's lap. The present itself took up about half the couch, forcing Moody to shift a little. Noodle tucked her fingers into a small fold and ripped, revealing Wind's old sled. "I knew yeh didn't 'ave one an' Wind doon' use 'is anehmore; so, I gave 'is a fresh coat uv paint an' primer an' now ih's yers!"

"Thank you, Pepper." She got up from the couch and stood the sled up, admiring the work her friend had put into it. Suddenly, a feeling of guilt washed over Noodle. "I...I did not get somethin' for you."

"Ih is the season uv _givin'_ an' tha's wot I do."

" 'Ere," Wind tossed a much-smaller parcel at 2D. "Yer gonna be movin' soon, so I figured 'is cewd come in 'andy cuttin' open boxes or wires an' wot-'ave-yew."

"Cool!" 2D stated upon opening the present to reveal a flick knife. The Pot family relatives, well-aware of 2D being prone to accidents, reflexively flinched and backed away- except Moody, who finally began to show some interest. " 'Fanks Wind!" His happy mood suddenly deflated. "An' now I find mehself in te same boat as Noodle: I didn't get anyfing fer yew in return."

"Yew really dun' get us, do yew? Tha' is a _present_, I dun' expect anythin' in return. Like Pep said, 'is is the season o' givin'. Yes, we expect presents from our family members 'cause 'ey 'ave the same way o' thinkin', but we dun' expect 'em ta be rewards fer _us _givin' presents ta others."

" 'Ere's yer basket," Danny presented the gift full of several homemade sweets and small decorations. "Expect many more ta come."

David took one quick rummage through the basket before shouting to Noodle, "We're set fer life!"

"Oh, Danny an' Wind." Rachel had finally managed to get downstairs to join the party, having managed to pass her own personal checklist for appearance at a party. " 'Ow nice o' yew ta join us. Where is- oh, 'ere she is. So, 'ow 'as yer 'oliday been goin'?"

"Very nice," Wind replied.

A woman with purple glasses cleared her throat to get attention. "So Rachel, David, Stuart... are yeh gonna introduce 'ese guests ta yer otheh guests?"

"I'm Pepper!" the young girl happily announced. "I'm Noodle-roo's best friend. 'Ese are me older siblin's, Wind an' Danneh. We're Pot famileh friends, odd as a flyin' pig, an', right now, I'm gettin' on all yer nerves!"

"Love te honesty," David and 2D both snorted quietly. Danny groaned and shook her head, but didn't make a move to quiet her sister. It became clear that she didn't need to after Pepper sank back down into the cushions, perfectly still and quiet. It was like her eccentricity happened in little spurts.

"Umm," Rachel broke through the awkward atmosphere- made awkward by the almost silence coupled with 2D and David's chuckles. "Danny, I 'ave somethin' fer yer family as well." She coaxed the older girl into the kitchen while the conversation started back up among family members. Wind preferred to not move too far from David and 2D, but he would speak back to someone else if they approached him.

" Is parteh 'as no vibe," said Pepper. "Ih's like a wine social." She quieted again, listening as the music changed from a piano version of "O Christmas Tree" to Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime". " 'Is song makes me think uv snow." She turned to look at Noodle. "We 'aven't sledded mooch, 'ave we?"

"Not very."

"Ih's a crime, yeh got a real sled now."

"What is... stoppin' us now?"

"Oonless Mister David an' Missus Rachel's yard sprouted a slope, we're outta loock."

Noodle traced her fingers along one of the metal runners of her new sled. "You know... a place, maybe?"

"I know the perfect place to sled, boot," she paused, looking around at all the people before lowering her voice, "ih's a bit uv a trek an' I doon' quite recommend takin' ih at night. 'En again, I 'ave 'eard people say ih's worth ih."

"Dependin', what people say worth it?"

"Well, Jake fer one. 'E's gone a coople uv times, says the sight embodies the magic uv the season. Apparentleh, a lot uv people meet 'ere every year joost to look. Boot, Noodle-roo, I doon' think ih's the best thing to do tonight."

"Why sayin' that?" Pepper pointed to the window facing the front yard. Reflected in the light of the indoor party, heavy snowflakes were falling to add to the layer already on the ground.

"Ih cewd be dangerous."

"When that ever stoppin' us?" Noodle laughed.

"Yeh got a point, boot ih's gonna be dangerous since we'll 'ave to take the boos on 'ese roads 'cause Dan won't take oos. Boot if yeh really want 'is, I'll lead yeh 'ere."

"Where?"

"Beachy Head."

* * *

It took 2D a while to realize Noodle was gone, a factor that he would later beat himself up for. No one had alerted him to her disappearance, or Pepper's, and when he had wandered through the den and realized they weren't on the couch anymore, he figured they had gone upstairs for a little peace and quiet. But, as dinnertime came near and Danny and Wind decided it was time to go and let the Pots sit down for their meal, the realization set in when a trip upstairs revealed Pepper and Noodle were nowhere to be found.

Cue gray hairs.

"Let's jus' stay calm," said David. "Maybe 'ey're in te garage."

"Right! Garage!" 2D dashed to the garage door and barreled through it, not even bothering to turn on the light. The other house occupants were a little one edge, cautiously rounding up their children to ensure everyone else was still in place. Then they all heard 2D scream in frustration and all Hell almost broke loose.

"I'm amazed at you two," said Rachel to Danny and Wind, who were standing silently in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Do yew really think we're new ta 'is?" said Wind in reply. "But... Christmas... I guess 'is is a new one." He turned to Danny. "Do yew 'ave any ideas? I mean, she wasn't upset by anythin', right?"

Danny didn't respond right away; instead, her gaze shifted to the presents under the tree, then to where Noodle and Pepper had been sitting before choking on her own breath and squeaking out, "The sled is gone."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Yew dun' 'fink..?" 2D burst out from the garage and went straight to the kitchen. He reemerged with a torch in one hand and an extra couple of batteries. "Stuart, we may wanna try outside."

"Already on ih," he replied, struggling to get his jacket on and go outside the door at the same time. There was an entire crowd of snowy footprints on their front step, caused by their visiting relatives, and several overlapping footprints in the snow coming from the parked cars on the edge of the street. He turned on the torch and shined it around the yard, almost seeing his target immediately. The snow was coming down hard and the prints from their arrivals were already partly filled in, but these were fresh and following along with the two sets of lone footprints cutting diagnostically across the front yard were two, thin, continual marks cut into the snow: just like the runners of a sled being pulled behind the ones the prints belonged to.

2D sighed, zipped his jacket up all the way, then started to follow the footprints.

* * *

Sorry for being late, but I was struck down with a bout of college professor logic: "Oh, are there two weeks left of class? Let's pile on every paper and project that's important to our students' grades all at once!" But, I got it all done, and I guess that's what counts.

Also on the note of being late, happy belated birthdays 2D, Russel, and Murdoc.

~The Strawberry Phoenix


	12. The Whitecoat

The Whitecoat

I don't own Gorillaz

* * *

Noodle wiggled her numb toes as she waited at the bus stop, Pepper pacing back and forth behind her. The snow continued to fall in large clumps and collect on their hoods and shoulders, forcing the two of them to shake their whole bodies every once in a while to get rid themselves of their chilly burdens. The sky overhead was as dark gray as wildfire residue, hiding the moons and stars, but encasing the city in a misty globe that reflected all the light back down to Earth. The streetlights were floating orbs in the misty distance. Despite the deep and eerie mist that should have incited deep fears within human primal instincts, Noodle felt oddly at peace with the world. It was so quiet and calm.

The rhythmic crunching pattern of Pepper's feet was interrupted by large wheels crushing the snow between their treads. A bus pulled up beside them, the door opening to allow a few people off. Pepper kicked her foot against one of the wheels to shake off the excess snow before climbing on, then turning back to help Noodle maneuver the sled aboard. She ended up going in backwards while Noodle stepped up supporting the other end of their cumbersome burden.

"Where're yew two goin'?" asked the driver, a raised eyebrow coupled with his slightly confused tone at the sight of two young girl lugging around a sled at night on Christmas Eve. "Shewdn't yew kids be at 'ome?"

"Shewdn't yew?" Pepper said back in a genuinely curious voice.

"Some people gotta work an' get people places. So, where yew two off ta?"

"Beachy Head." She buried her hand into her pocket and extracted a handful of change. Not even bothering to count it, she handed it off to the driver. "Shewd be 'nough fer two 'ere."

"Li'le late fer 'is kinda journey, ain't ih?"

"I thought so too," she replied. Pepper looked down the aisle, noticing there was only one other passenger left on the bus after the others had been let off at this stop. It was a bit of a struggle to get the sled to their chosen seat, but they managed to lean it against the back of the seat in front of them and keep it propped up with their feet. The bus jerked slightly then started rolling along through the snow.

Noodle stuffed her hands in her armpits in an attempt to keep them warm. She was only realizing now that she had no gloves, having kept her hands in her pockets at the bus stop. She exhaled slowly, watching her breath fog up the window. Bored, she drew a smiley face in the face and watched it slowly dissipate. She felt the seat shift as Pepper started acting jittery to keep herself warm.

* * *

"Noodle! Peppeh!" 2D had lost the trail of footprints as the steady snowfall filled them in. He had made it a few streets away from Crescent Gate before the prints were no longer discernible and had faded into the blank white sheet of snow. He stomped in the snow to vent his frustration, kicking clumps into the street and sprays of snow onto nearby building walls. He let out a growl and kicked the packed-up off the bottom of his shoes; not exactly the best choice of footwear for this sort of journey, but he hadn't expected the two girls to make it this far away.

_Where did yew two go? Why wewd yeh run? _They weren't running away from home- at least he knew that much. He may be thick, but he knew that the girls had no grounded reason to run away permanently. They were going somewhere and he didn't know where, but since they took the sled, he guessed it was to sled in the snow, something the two hadn't done as much as they had wanted.

"Te park!" he shouted aloud, moving so quickly to get to the park that he slipped on the sheet of ice forming on top of the untouched portions of the snow and fell on his backside. Not even registering the pain, he scrambled back up and rushed off. Despite the fog, his way was well-lit. Streetlights, Christmas lights, porch lights, and the lights emanating from inside of the houses. Happy families enjoying the holidays...and he was out here in the freezing cold looking for his daughter and her flighty friend. He couldn't blame them for wanting to escape; he did it all the time when he was a child, but he at least hoped both of them understood the amount of stress and fear they had just instilled on everyone.

Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he thought back to the Christmas that had been celebrated at Kong Studios and wondered, for the first, genuine time that was not being partially blocked out with worry for the future, where Russel and Murdoc were and how they were coping. He figured Russel would probably go home to New York, but he wasn't too sure about Murdoc, who would probably only return to his old home to watch it burn to the foundations in an "unsolved arson case." Maybe Russel was home with his parents, enjoying Christmas just like 2D should be at the moment.

The park was empty- _completely_ empty. There some scant, fresh footprints from people just passing through, but none that were the proper size to belong to Pepper or Noodle. The playground equipment was covered in a layer of snow, untouched by anyone. There were some small slopes, but nothing proper for sledding. No...Pepper would go for the big leagues, these were nothing in comparison. The only problem now was to figure out where there were big enough slopes for sledding to Pepper's caliber. Maybe one of the local golf courses, but he doubted the organizations would allow children to sled there.

"Noodle!" he shouted into the sky, listening to his voice echo back.

"Wot's yer problem?" a voice behind him asked. He turned to see two boys who looked barely out of their teens.

"I...I lost meh daughteh. She went wiff 'er friend ta find a place ta go sleddin'."

"Huh..." The two began to whisper a little amongst themselves. "We uh...we think we might've saw 'em."

"Did yeh?!"

"Well, we saw two girls gettin' on the bus. One was Asian, the other 'ad chestnut 'air."

"Tha's 'em! Did 'ey say where 'ey were goin'?"

"We were jus' gettin' off when 'ey were gettin' on. I 'ad ta stop an' tie meh shoe; I think 'ey said 'ey were goin' ta Beachy Head."

_Tha' is definitely te big leagues... _"'Fank yew!" 2D took off back toward the road. He got two streets away from the park, backtracking to the street he had been at before, but slowed to a halt. Would it be quicker to wait for a bus, or to head straight to Beachy Head? He wasn't good with estimates, but he could guess they were well on their way to Beachy Head already. If they were planning to go sledding, they might stay for a while.

As soon as he arrived at Crescent Gate, he could see that he had escaped joining the search party that was doing little to accomplish anything. Pot family members, armed with what torches they could find, some that barely cast a beam, were searching among the neighborhood. He gave them some credit for trying, but couldn't help but feel annoyed they feared to stray more than a block away from the house. What little annoyance he had disappeared upon seeing the small faces of his young cousins in the open window, watching as their parents and other family members searched for their missing adopted cousin.

"Stuart!" David rushed over to him. "Did yeh find 'em?"

"No, but I know where 'ey're goin'. I need ta borrow yer car."

"Where're 'ey 'eadin'?" he asked, holding out the keys to one of the cars.

"Beachy Head," 2D swiped the keys out of David's hand, striding through the snow to one of the cars parked directly in the driveway. Weaving among the cars of his visiting relatives was going to be a treat, as well as doing it in the snow, but he was determined to reach Beachy Head before Noodle and Pepper got bored and left; since this was Pepper, he figured he had a very little time frame. That child had the attention span of a Jack Russell. Yet, even with the knowledge of her weak ability to focus on one thing for an extended period of time, he found himself becoming gradually more comfortable with Noodle being left in Pepper's company.

* * *

"Have a good night," Noodle waved goodbye to the driver after stepping off the bus. She honestly hoped he would; this was definitely not a night to be working, not when everyone should be home with their families. _Like we should..._ her train of thought trailed off temporarily. With each roll of the bus tires and each step she took, she felt the tug in her heart pull tauter. She wondered how the Pots were reacting, as well as Danny and Wind; though, she figured they were probably taking it more in stride than 2D was.

There was a crowd already gathered on the hillside, a dark silhouette of milling shapes, some made more visible by the waving light beams of torches. The two girls walked together, each having a hand gripping the rope lead of the sled. The snowfall had lightened considerably, but they knew it was only temporary. However, there was a clear trail of numerous footprints in the snow with only the outermost prints from the main trail being partially filled in. The trail made it easy to travel through the snow to the crowd. Some of them saw the girls approaching and waved at them, encouraging them to approach.

"Meh li'le angels!" There was a voice they recognized. Jake slipped and fell in the snow in his hurried approach. "Wonderful fer yew ta finally join us up 'ere Pepper, an' yeh brought Noodle!"

"So wot's the big event?" Pepper asked.

"Ah, meh dear, the magic o' the season makes 'is event the most wonderful sight." He grabbed Pepper by her shoulders and turned her sharply to face Eastbourne. "Lemme ask yew, wewd 'is mean as much without Nature's gift o' frozen magic?"

The sight was breathtaking. The layer of snow completely covering the buildings, fields, and roads far below reflected the streetlights and decorative Christmas lights in each frozen crystal. The misty sky above still performed its task as a thick blanket that contained the lights, forming a glowing, little egg of majesty in the cupped, joined hands of Nature and human civilization. Most of the cars were off the roads, just an odd bus here or there, causing almost complete silence to surround them. The entire atmosphere on Beachy Head was in complete serenity and peace.

Noodle sat down on the sled, resting her chin in her hands, trying to settle in a comfortable position so she could stare at the majestic splendor below for as long as possible. Though she had scooted over enough to let Pepper sit beside her, the other girl decided to lie on her belly in the snow, her chin resting on her folded arms. Jake just smiled a knowing smile and left them to enjoy the sight in silence. The crowd of other people made sure to speak in soft voices, but their soft whispers almost seemed to strengthen the magic of the scene. There wasn't even any wind blowing, just soft specks of snow falling in gentle spirals.

_If Toochie come here, no migraine possible, _Noodle thought to herself. The small thought of 2D made her sigh deeply. How worried was he right now? Would he be angry at her for running off? She and Pepper had come here to sled, but it almost seemed like an insult to do so while in the presence of this sight.

"Ih's a li'le 'ard to imagine such a thing cewd exist right in our backyard without seein' ih fer yerself, eh?" Pepper whispered, as if she was afraid that raising her voice any higher would break the delicate scene.

"Pretty bein' everywhere," Noodle whispered back.

Pepper was about to respond when the mystical silence was broken by the sound of a car approaching. The wheels spun uselessly as the vehicle struggled through the snow to reach the crest of the road where everyone else's cars were stationed. The car slid in the snow a couple of times, further interrupting the silence. Now other people in the crowd were beginning to notice; their heads turned away from the lights or each other and focused on the struggling car. Finally, it managed to arrange itself in a way that satisfied the driver and the engine cut out.

"I wos beginnin' ta wonder whether one o' us shewd go an' 'elp 'im." Noodle and Pepper both flinched when Jake spoke up, having somehow sneaked close to them once more.

Noodle shot up from the sled upon noticing the awkward way the gangly-legged arrival walked through the snow, stumbling frequently, as if desperate to reach the group. "Toochie," she said quietly. She was happy to see him, but slightly worried to how he would react once he reached her. Would he be mad that she and Pepper had run off? Or maybe relieved that they weren't hurt?

"Noodle," 2D's tone was soft and unassuming. He could easily be furious, his rage simmering in silence, or relieved, his entire body beneath his snow-covered jacket going limp.

"Yer angreh," Pepper piped up.

"Not angry...jus'...I'm not too sure mehself." He rubbed his forehead and sat down on the sled. "Noodle, 'fough I'm lecturin' yew, 'is also applies ta Peppeh: wot yew did wos very bad. Yeh scared te entire family outta 'eir wits. Now, 'fough 'ey may be a li'le annoyin', I dun' 'fink 'ey deserve 'at sorta treatment."

Noodle played with her fingers a little, biting her lip as she tried to prepare a response. "How...bad it is?"

"Well, before I told 'em yew guys left on yer own accord, 'ey 'fought someone snatched yeh an' 'ey were paranoid about lettin' 'eir kids outta 'eir sight."

"Wot'd Dan an' Wind do?" asked Pepper.

"Danny probably got a kidney stone an' Wind barely registered a 'fing."

"No panic attack? I feel so looved," she mock-whimpered.

"Stuart," Jake spoke up, "I apologize if wot 'as 'appened 'as brought negative feelin's in yer family on 'is joyous holiday. I've encouraged Pepper ta come 'ere fer years an', when she finally does, she dragged li'le Noodle along with 'er."

"Why is ih always _my _fault?!" Pepper whined. "Fer yer information, Noodle-roo wanted to coom; in fact, _she _insisted! She wanted to go soomwhere to sled, 'cause we didn't get mooch time, an' Jake's told me 'bout 'is get-together fer years, so I figured ih wewd be good. An' ye know wot?" she crossed her arms, "poonishment aside, I'm _glad _we did ih. Ye wanna know why? Look at tha'!" she pointed to the lights down the hill.

And he did. 2D's dents widened and turned ghostly white. "Oh...wow." It was all he managed to squeak out. Just like Pepper and Noodle mere minutes before, he became completely entrance by the beauty of Nature and human society working together.

"Ih kinda makes all the bad in the world disappear," said Pepper. "If only fer a li'le bit." Her expression turned cross. "So am I still bein' blamed fer 'is li'le fiasco?"

2D managed to tear his gaze away from the lights in order to properly answer. "I guess...well, Noodle told yeh ta bring 'er 'ere, right?"

"Not here really," said Noodle. "Just somewheres."

"Still...I won't blame yeh, Peppeh. Afteh all, I guess ih wos all worth ih."

"_Ta_," Pepper retorted in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeh know wot 'is sight makes me 'fink of?" said 2D, shrugging off Pepper's sharp reply. "I see fairy lights; billions o' fairy lights floatin' away in a sea o' stars."

"A true romantic," Jake whispered, earning a horrified look from 2D. "I'll jus' go over 'ere." He sheepishly slinked away, leaving the blunette and the two girls alone to continue staring at the lights.

"Ye know wot I think uv? I think uv the Grand Design," said Pepper.

"When are yew neveh 'finkin' o' tha'?" asked 2D. "Accordin' ta wot yew say, 'ere's some... _'fing _tha' 'as our 'ole existence mapped out; te decisions we make an' 'eir consequences?"

"Well, ih's not all written out per se. Ih's more like...all yer decisions are 'ere an' the different outcomes from yer decisions, an' the Design fixes ihself accordin' to the choice ye make. After all," she stretched back to lie in the snow, regardless of the dampness or chill, "life wewd be borin' if everehthin' wos decided fer oos."

Silence fell upon them once again, cloaking 2D in complete serenity once more; yet, in the back of his mind, some stored-away fact was nipping at him: they had to leave. It was Christmas Eve and they had family to celebrate with. Currently, his own family was probably still frantic out of their minds, as well as Danny and Wind, but to a lesser degree considering they were used to this. Still, Pepper needed to go home and he and Noodle needed to get back to their family.

_Our family..._ he thought to himself wistfully. His and Noodle's family... Despite Noodle's disappearance throwing this holiday into an uproar, he still felt like everything was just perfect.

"I guess," Pepper spoke, "we shewd go, huh?" She stood up, patting snow off her back. "I enjoyed tonight, even though we didn't actualleh sled, boot I guess everehthin' needs to coom to an end. Mister Pot, if yew please," she gestured to the car he had driven.

2D and Pepper moved toward the main road, not noticing that the third member of their little party wasn't following at the moment. A flurry of snow ruffled Noodle's hair, causing her to try and manually fix the tangles. Once her face was clear, she was presented with a sight that made her freeze in terror. The lights misted into the background as she focused solely on the being standing halfway down the hill. Despite the distance, the overcast sky that encased all the lights lit up the area well enough that she could see every detail of the monster from her nightmares.

The whitecoat was incredibly thin, almost skeletal, and stretched taller than 2D, even though its hunched back curved it forward. Its face was covered by a white surgical mask and a pair of large, white-lens goggles. The rest of its head was covered by a hair net. Its body was swathed in a long white garment with a button-up front that dropped so low to the ground that it covered its feet. Its arms were drawn close to its chest, its hands drooping slightly and fingers twitching every so often. Those horrible hands- in place of actual fingers, there were several scalpels, knives, and syringes.

Its body swayed in the wind, but it remained focused on her. All the sounds died away, even the wind that was shaking the whitecoat failed to make a sound. She could hear it breathing: a wheezing rasp that sent shivers throughout her whole body. It didn't move toward or away from her and she realized, to her horror, there were no footprints in the snow that led up to where it was standing. She held her breath as it moved, but not in distance. It raised one hand slowly until it was level with its head and wiggled its fingers at her.

"Noodle?!" 2D grasped her shoulders and shook her. "Noodle?! Wot's wrong?! Answer me!"

"Toochie?" she choked. The second her eyes left the whitecoat, looked into 2D's stark-white dents, then darted back, the creature was gone, without any sign that it had ever been there. "I...I..." her eyes filled with tears.

"Noodle? Wot is ih?"

"I saw...a w-whitecoat."

"Wot?!" he rasped, head twisting around to find the beast that was haunting Noodle's nightmares. "Wait... _a_ whitecoat? Noodle, is 'ere more 'an one in yer 'ead?"

"So many," she whispered. "But...one is...here. Um... was here."

"Wot's goin' on?" Pepper ran through the snow as best she could.

"Noodle saw a whitecoat," 2D explained. Pepper didn't respond; she covered her mouth and squeaked, her face displaying genuine fear. She turned away from them, kicking and stomping snow.

"Joost stay away froom 'er!" she hissed between her teeth. "Go away, ye damn monsters! No one wants yew!" She stopped abruptly, staring off down the hill. Suddenly, she spun around to face 2D and Noodle, "We shewd go. 'Is place ain't safe no more. Association- ye know?"

"Wot are yew talkin' about?" asked 2D.

"'Cause the whitecoat's showed oop 'ere, I figure she won't easileh ferget. Associatin' the whitecoat with 'is place will cause cripplin' fears if she coomes back or goes to a place similar in appearance."

_Or maybe te whitecoat showed up 'cause 'is place is already familiar. _"Noodle, 'ave yew been 'ere before?" What a foolish question to ask, but 2D couldn't snatch them back after the words left his mouth. Even if she had been here previously, Noodle's amnesia would prevent her from remembering. But maybe there was truth in what he was thinking: maybe Noodle had been here before and maybe the memory was showing through in the familiar surroundings, or maybe Beachy Head resembled a different place she had been to before. Were there large, snow-covered hills in Japan? Maybe in the countryside- he wasn't too familiar with geography of countries.

"Yeh 'fink a whitecoat brought 'er 'ere?" he wondered aloud.

"Well, I'm no expert, but I figure the whitecoat ain't a real thing; instead, I think ih's a marker."

Noodle listened to her father and friend converse as her breath and heart rate slowed. The initial terror was fading, but an intense fear was replacing it. The sight of that walking, cloaked skeleton existing outside of her dream realm had caused her hope to plummet. Things were getting worse and she began to fear her psyche was shattering.

"I have not...bein' here," she cut in. "Never before. Cannot... remember."

"I know yeh can't, love," 2D kissed the crown of her head. "But 'ow 'bout we get outta 'ere?" He grasped Noodle's hand tightly as they walked back to the car, Pepper bounding a few steps ahead with the sled, acting as a look-out. 2D couldn't help but feel a little foolish at his protectiveness, especially in insisting his twelve year-old hold his hand, but he couldn't help it. Even though the whitecoat was a manifestation of Noodle's mind, he was still incredibly uneasy that some incorporeal being was going to appear out of thin air and snatch her away.

"'Ey Mister Pot, d'ye think, when ye go to Noodle-roo's next appointment, tha' I cewd tag along?"

"Wot?" he turned around in his seat to look at the two girls in the backseat.

Pepper sighed and pulled a small case out of her pocket, "Ye know wot 'is is? Ih's called an EpiPen." She opened the case and pulled out a slim, cylindrical object. "Ye inject ih into someone 'avin' an allergic reaction."

"Not knowin' you were," said Noodle in a surprised tone.

"_I'm _not, boot Danneh is. She's got a severe peanoot allergy, boot ye wanna know why _I've _got 'is?" She held the pen up to the dim light in the car. "Dan's got one too- she carries ih in 'er backpack at school. 'Owever, me parents gave me 'is pen to make sure she's safe. I've used ih a total uv three times ever since I got ih at age seven. I carreh ih everehwhere with me to condition meself to always keep ih close. Me parents troosted me to 'elp keep me sister safe an' I wanna 'elp yew too. If I go with yew to Noodle-roo's appointment, I'll learn wot I need to look fo' in 'er behavior. I'll know when the whitecoats are near an' I'll 'elp 'er. Yew can't be around 'er evereh hour uv evereh day, boot I can 'elp make oop fo' 'ose hours where yew can't be 'ere."

"Yew...yew wewd do tha' fer us?" 2D whispered.

"Uv course; if I were 'avin' problems, I'd want Noodle-roo to 'elp me."

"Yeh know," 2D turned back to face forward and leaned back in his seat, "I've wracked meh brain tryin' ta figure yer family out. 'Fough I 'aven't managed ta figure anyfing yet, all I know is tha' I'm 'appy I know yew people."

"Even with the single demon in our bloodline?"

"Ta know yew people is worth dealin' wiff 'er."

* * *

"Yew can't pull 'is sorta shit anymore!"

"Jeez Dan!" Wind spoke.

The older girl looked around to make sure none of the Pot family children had wandered through the front door to the yard before starting again, "Ih's Christmas Eve an' yew 'ad me convinced yew 'ad run off!"

"The possibiliteh I 'ad been kidnapped never occurred?" asked Pepper.

"Yer too smart ta get kidnapped."

"Boot I'm vereh troostin'."

"Look," Danny pinched the skin between her eyes, "ih's Christmas Eve, I jus' wanna go 'ome an' enjoy the holiday."

"Sounds like a plan," Wind picked up Rachel's plate of treats and headed toward Danny's car. "'Ave a wonderful evenin'. See ya soon."

Danny just sighed and grabbed Pepper's arm to direct her to the car. "I'm sorry fer wot 'as 'appened. I 'ope yew manage ta collect the scraps o' wot's left o' yer holiday an' manage ta enjoy ih jus' fine. I'll see if meh family can manage the same." She paused for a second before continuing with a small chuckle of laughter, "'Oo am I kiddin'? Meh family can make a good situation outta anythin'. So long everyone." She shoved Pepper into the backseat. Although her older sister's handling seemed rough, the younger girl appeared to be anything but upset by it.

"Well..." said David, "'is 'as certainly been an interestin' night. I suggest we finish ih up wiffout any more incidents." He turned and walked back into the house, breaking up the crowd of relatives that had gathered right behind the front door. Rachel lingered for a bit, trying to think of something to tell her son, before joining her husband back inside. 2D opened his mouth a few times, trying to summon something to say to Noodle, who was staring down the road. Panic overtook him upon seeing her intense stare into the distance.

"Noods...is one 'ere? A whitecoat?"

"No," she turned to focus on him now. "No whitecoat."

"Do yeh 'fink 'e'll come back?"

"Not knowin'. Would rather did not."

"Well, dun'chu worry now. I'm not gonna let 'em get'chu, neither is Peppeh. Let's go eat dinneh." He took her hand again, leading her to the door. Before they crossed the threshold, she looked back one last time. She hadn't lied; there wasn't a whitecoat in the street. A small child dressed in a bland military uniform, its face gray, cheeks and eyes sunken, was still currently standing in the street.

She got one last look at it before 2D shut the door.


End file.
